Vortex
by CrimsonKyuubiSage
Summary: In the world of Mutants, you are either strong or smart enough to survive. He was somewhere in between that, and now he's got college life added to his ever-growing list of struggles! Join Naruto Uzumaki, whose secret identity goes by the moniker of "Vortex", as he fights heroes and villains and wavers back and forth on the thin line that divides the two!
1. Chapter 1 - The Beginning

**AN: It's been a while since I've done a challenge, and one guy by the name of johnnyescamilla5 asked if I could do one of Naruto and Avengers Earth's Mightiest Heroes... so here we are! I originally intended for this to start at "The Man in the Ant Hill" episode, but decided to start four years before that, also known as Janet's freshman year of college... Enjoy!**

* * *

" _You know, it's funny. This reminds me of a joke..._

 _See, there were two guys locked in a lunatic asylum. And one night, one night they decided they didn't like that anymore - they decided to escape. So they made it up to the roof and there, just across this narrow gap, they see rooftops stretching across town - stretching to_ freedom _. Now the first guy, he jumps right across no problem. But his friend - hoho, no way - he's afraid of falling._  
 _So the first guy, he has an idea! He says: 'Hey! I got this flashlight with me! I'll shine it across the gap between the buildings and you can walk across the beam and join me!'_

 _But the second guy says: 'What do you think I am, crazy? You'll just turn it off when I'm halfway across!'_ "

-Joker, The Killing Joke

* * *

Chapter Start

 **-Vortex-**

 _Homo superior_ , more often called 'Mutants', are what some scientists believe to be the next step of human evolution. These Mutants possess powers ranging from intangibility to telekinesis, yet they are looked down upon society as outcasts...

And Naruto Uzumaki is one of them.

At sixteen years old, he discovered that he was a Mutant, and his abilities were... extraordinary, to say the least.

He couldn't move things with his mind, nor could he teleport, but what he could do was still quite magnificent...

"Ohh! I can't believe my baby boy is all grown up!"

He quickly snapped back to reality, courtesy of his highly emotional mother enveloping him in a hug.

Why was she trying to snap his back? Well, it was going to be a long time until she saw her baby again, college always made sure of that.

"Urgh! Mom..." Naruto groaned out as the life was ever so swiftly crushed out of him.

"I'll see you during the parent weekend! Goodbye, sochi!"

As he waved goodbye to his mother, only one thought was on his mind...

' _College Move-In Day-_ '

' _-is such a hassle._ ' The cars packed with family and belongings, the clingy parents and tearful goodbyes... thankfully that was all said and done now.

Janet "Jan" van Dyne sighed in exhaustion, collapsing to the ground outside her new room. Her other roommates weren't here yet, so she had her choice of which bed in her room she wanted.

She was actually quite nervous. It was the start of her first year at Greyburn College, so her fear was understandable.

"Welcome to college, Jan..." she said to herself...

That was the sight that _he_ happened upon - a beautiful blue eyed, auburn haired girl that stood at 5'4" wearing a plain yellow shirt, blue jeans and sandals.

"Hi there!" Jan perked up and saw a man that stood at 5'8" with spiky blond hair and blue eyes, wearing a grey jacket, white shirt, blue jeans and dark shoes.

What really caught her attention, however, was the three whisker marks on either side of the man's cheeks.

"O-Oh! Hi..." Jan stuttered in surprise.

"You're in the room across from mine it seems. I'm Naruto Uzumaki, nice to meet you!" he said cheerfully, a fox-like grin on his face as he extended his hand to the auburn haired woman.

"Nice to meet you too. I'm Janet van Dyne, but most people just call me Jan." Jan replied, shaking Naruto's hand as a smile formed on her face...

Maybe college wouldn't be as bad as she thought it would be.

 **-Vortex-**

" ***BOOM*!** " Jan broke from memory lane when the sound of an explosion reached her ears.

It's been nearly two years since she met Naruto, and she would admit that he is now a close friend of hers, but...

There were just some secrets that had to be kept hidden.

During her Sophomore year, she came under the tutelage of Dr. Hank Pym, a scientist who had worked with an organization called the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division, or S.H.I.E.L.D. for short.

One thing had led to another, and eventually she became the superhero alias of Hank Pym's, Ant Man, partner in crime, Wasp.

And it. Was. _Boring_!

She could be stopping super villains, catching crooks and just fighting crime in general, but Hank would rather spend time furthering his research than cleaning up the streets.

The few stories she had heard from S.H.I.E.L.D. members about their adventures made her envy them! What good were these new powers if she couldn't put them to good use?!

That was when her prayers were answered! A salvation to her increasingly frustrating boredom!

There was an attack down at the docks! S.H.I.E.L.D. was fifteen minutes from the site, but she could get there in five!

She practically jumped at the chance to fight a super villain, or evil organization, or whatever the hell was terrorizing the docks!

This was her big chance, she wouldn't mess it up!

 **-Vortex-**

"P-Please, sir... let us go!" a frightened fisherman begged, cowering on the ground like the others who couldn't escape in time as this new villain loomed over them.

"Yeah, you see, I _would_ , but... then I'd lose whatever leverage I have when the police arrive... I think."

Being a mutant in today's world was never easy. People would go to great lengths to hide the fact they're mutants from friends and family, and for good reason too. It was a stigma to be a mutant...

Which was why Naruto never told anyone, not even his friends, not even his brother or sister... not even his parents.

His mutation had only become active at the start of high school, and he began to practice using it in secret shortly after.

It was called 'Hydrokinesis', if he recalled correctly, and one of the things he found quite profound was that he had yet to reach its limits. He could control water in **all** of its forms, but to what extent?

In fact, this situation he was in right now would be the first true test of his powers. He decided to cover his whisker marks with skin tone makeup just incase, and flexing his powers was going swell! Though he could do without the _crying_ and _whimpering_ and _begging_ and - **for the love of everything why wouldn't these people shut up?!**

"Ugh. Look, if you can all shut up for about five minutes, I'll let you go, okay?! Is - Is that fair?!" Naruto suggested angrily, lounging on a platform of water that he willed.

"..."

"... Ah, peace and-"  
"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!"  
"Goddammit."

The battle between good and evil was about to commence, at least in Jan's mind, as she grew back to her normal height yards away from the mysterious villain...

In fact, taking a closer look at him, he seemed kinda... familiar. Spiky blond hair covered by a dark blue hood which was attached to a similarly-colored trench coat, dark blue goggles to cover his eyes, and a black shirt, pants, and shoes to complete his attire.

Slap some whisker marks on this guy and he looked like Naruto!

Naruto was thinking something similar as well. This heroine's costume made him think of a bee or a wasp: a black and yellow dress with a yellow antennae-like headpiece and black and yellow gloves, as well as black leggings with yellow boots. And on top of that, she looked very, very similar to another auburn-haired woman he knew...

 _Buuuuuuuuuut_ it was a really large city, so he couldn't rule out the possibility of a doppelganger existing.

 _ **That, or maybe he just refused to believe it was her...**_

"... Umm... who are you?" Naruto asked dumbly, mentally commanding the water he was laying on to bring him down to the wooden docks.

"My name is Wasp! Unhand those civilians, you fiend!" Jan/Wasp exclaimed, pointing dramatically at Naruto as she spoke.

Naruto blinked comically, though it was hidden by his goggles, and lightly scratched his face - near his mouth so as to not rub off his makeup.

"Eh? You want 'em, take 'em." Naruto said dismissively. "They've been nothing but annoyances to me."

The very moment those words escaped his lips, the civilians who were once cowering on the ground sprung up and sprinted away.

"Now then! Let us - wait!" Jan yelled when Naruto tried to attack her with a tendril of water.

"What? What 'wait'?" Naruto questioned.

"You haven't, you know..."  
"Uhh... no, I don't know."  
"It's kinda like, I don't know, a common courtesy to tell me what your super villain name is?"

"Wait, just because you told me your superhero name, I have to tell you my super villain name?"

"I guess... I don't know! I haven't done this enough, but the bad guys always seem to yell out their name or organization or something like that!"

"... Why?"  
"What?"  
"I'm asking why?"

"... You didn't come up with a villain name, did you?" Jan asked rhetorically, causing Naruto to sigh.

"No, I didn't..." Naruto replied, sitting on a chair of water as he stroked his chin in thought.

...

"... Well?"  
"Just give me a minute. I'll come up with one."  
"Ugh, this is taking too long, let's just fight!"

"No no no, I feel it's best if I come up with a super villain name beforehand rather than have it be decided by someone else, now that I think about it."

"Well... how about 'Water Guy'?" Jan suggested.

"Do you really want to fight a guy called that?" Naruto retorted sarcastically.

"Hydro dude?"  
"Nope."  
"Torrent?"  
"Doesn't really resonate with me."  
"Aquaman?"  
"I think that name's been taken already."

"Hmm..."

"Wait! I think I've got it!" Naruto suddenly exclaimed, holding his hands up dramatically. "Vortex!"

"Ahh... whatever. Let's fight already!" Jan said.

"Foolish hero! Now you will face the mighty wrath of Vortex!" Naruto yelled, striking an odd pose as water surged up around him.

"Yes! Finally!" Jan exclaimed...

Just as S.H.I.E.L.D. arrived upon the scene.

"Oh, umm..." Naruto said hesitantly as he saw the S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives running towards them. "Well! Would you look at the time, it's get the heck outta here o'clock!"

"Wait, what?!" Jan yelled, both confused and angry.

"Yeah, I don't want to be arrested anytime soon, soooo... sayonara!" Naruto chirped, giving a mock salute before jumping into the water, merging with the waves and swiftly escaping.

"Hey! Get back here!"

And thus was the beginning of the cat and mouse chase between a wasp and a whirlpool...

 **-Vortex-**

Naruto cheered as he dashed out of his last class for the day, a previous Philosophy test he took gripped in his hands...

It made spotting him amongst the crowds of students quite easy for Jan.

"Hey there, Na-ru-to!" Jan called out as soon as she was close enough for him to hear.

"Oh hey Jan! What's up?" he asked, his smile just a bit wider at seeing her.

"Just wondering what's got you so chipper!" she replied, causing his smile to turn into a grin.

"This!" Naruto showed her the test - one of the hardest tests to date in his own opinion - and written in red on the front was the number **86**. "I did better than I thought I would!"

"Heh! Now this-" Jan pointed at the paper. "-calls for a celebration, if I do say so myself!"

"Ichiraku Ramen?"  
"Ichiraku Ramen. On. Me."  
"Hell yeeesssssss!"

They began to race towards the campus gates, intent on eating at a local restaurant that they both frequented.

And while they ran along, both Naruto and Jan shared a stray thought...

' _He must never find out..._ / _She must never find out..._ '

Chapter End

* * *

 **POST AN: Sorry about this chapter being so short. I promise the upcoming chapters will be longer and more action-packed. In order to get a better understanding of the Marvel universe (Without spending money) I decided to get that Contest of Champions game, but if there are any character consistencies that are overlooked, please inform me and I will do my best to address them or explain why they're there.**

 **Anyways, I'll see you guys next time! Read and Review!**

 **-CrimsonKyuubiSage out!**


	2. Chapter 2 - Radioactive Man

**AN: Heeeeeeeeeellllllllllllllllllllooooooooo People! CrimsonKyuubiSage here! The first chapter did well, so here I am back with the second! To put things in perspective, I've planned a few arcs ahead of time to separate the story. Chapters 1-4 will be the 'Prologue' Arc, which should be self-explanatory.**

 **And Now Onto Reviewing Your Reviews!**

 **omar. cornelius. 9 - Individuals are smart, but people are dumb. It wouldn't be a stretch for someone flexing their powers to 'accumulate' hostages. Plus when will you ever again get to say you came face to face with a superhuman and lived? Also I had to look up what an Inhuman was sooooo... maybe.**

 **DRADX - Naruto's origins won't be unknown, but what good comic book tells the reader the hero/heroine's origins in Issue #1? Also fuck not adding other Naruto characters. It's convenient and I need background characters without coming up with new names.**

 **DragonPony022 - I would like to point out that this Janet van Dyne is not the Earth-616 variant... also I've never read a single Marvel comic in my - actually that's not true, I read the Deadpool Kills series online, but that's it. Though I can guarantee a conflict of love interests... ;3**

* * *

Chapter Start

 **-Vortex-**

" _The water circulated in water cycle takes three different forms - solid, liquid and gaseous..._ " Naruto read aloud, quoting the website on his phone in his left hand and a sphere of water in his right hand. " _The solid form of water - ice, is found at the poles of the earth, the snow covered mountains and the glaciers..._ "

He glanced at the ball of water, squinting at it as if his stare alone would turn it to ice.

If he could control water, why not its other forms and then some?

He had a really large pool of possible skills to work with! He could try to turn his own body into water, he could try to control the water in other people's bodies!

 _ **He could pull out all the water in a person's body and leave them a dry husk...**_

 _Maybe_ he should just stick to the basics for now...

'How the fuck do I get this thing to turn into _ice_?!' Naruto mentally exclaimed...

He was not expecting the ball of water to immediately turn into ice, however.

...

"OH SHIT!" was the cry that Jan heard coming from Naruto's dorm room... from the blond himself.

So naturally, she was curious to figure out what cased him to curse so loud...

" ***Knock* *Knock*!** Naruto? Are you alright?"

Shit! He did _not_ need Jan finding out about his powers!

'Water! Water! Water!' he mentally chanted, causing the ball of ice to melt and drop to the ground.

Fuck it, he'd clean it up later.

...

"Ah, hey Jan..." Naruto said casually, opening the door to the auburn haired woman.

"Umm... is everything alright in there?" she asked, peeking her head over his shoulder trying to find the source of his spout of curses.

"It's nothing, I just spilt a lot of water." he replied.

Jan would have delved deeper into the matter, but then her phone rang...

" _ **Meet 3:00 At Chapel Hall 04 for P-Study!**_ " It was a reminder she set for herself, and 'P-Study' was code for training with the Wasp suit!

Don't get her wrong, she _was_ pretty good with the suit. But there were a few things that she... _wasn't_ exactly great at - but that's what training was for!

"Ugh! I've got a study I have to go to..." she groaned, faking disappointment in front of the blond. "See you later!"

"Bye!" Naruto chirped, releasing a deep sigh once he closed the door...

He held his hand up lazily, commanding the water that covered his floor to collect into its original sphere. Once that was said and done, he reached down for his phone and continued to read where he left off on.

" _Liquid form is present in the rivers, lakes, seas and oceans. The gaseous form of water, water vapour is present all around us..._ " he mumbled, pausing at that last sentence he read...

Water's gaseous state... how would that work-

" ***FIZZ*!** " The ball of water suddenly exploded into mist in his hands, almost like a flashbang going off with enough force to send him flying into the nearest wall!

...

Okay, now was a good time to do a pros-cons list.

Pros: He's discovered a new technique to add to his arsenal, something that could stun enemies and allow him to escape...

Cons: He has no clue how long everything will remain a white blur, nor will his ears stop ringing... fuck.

One thought that did come to mind, however...

'Science is a _bitch_!'

 **-Vortex-**

'Science is gonna be _my_ bitch!' Jan thought, racing towards the building which she would be training in.

She was so caught up in her thoughts, that she didn't register that she was on a collision course with someone until it was too late.

"Oof!" both exclaimed, papers flying as the duo fell to the ground.

"Ooh... Sorry about that." Jan apologized, helping the man she knocked down pick up his papers.

"It's no big deal, really." the man responded in a thick Asian accent, collecting the last of his papers before standing up. "I'm sorry, but I am running late as it is..."

He hurried along, breaking out into a full sprint, determined to get to his thesis presentation as soon as possible.

He would wow the judges! Or his name was not Chen Lu!

...

Whoops! He almost forgot one page he dropped, the title page to his thesis...

 **RADIOACTIVE MAN!**

 **-Vortex-**

At first glance, Chen Lu was not much to look at. He was skinny, standing at 5'6" with short black hair and black eyes.

Chen wore a red shirt, blue jeans and black sneakers, and on top of all this he donned a white lab coat and circular glasses.

Luckily his pit sweat stains didn't bleed through to his lab coat... yet.

He was _really_ nervous about presenting his thesis! And with good reason too!

The scientists judging him were merciless! He's seen his friends go in confident and come out crying!

And now, it was **his** turn...

...

"A-Ahh... hello, ladies and g-gentlemen..." Chen stuttered, gripping a projector remote tightly in his hand while the screen flared to life.

"You're late, Mr. Lu." the spokesman for the judges stated. "Allow me to introduce your examining committee. First-" he motioned to the scientists as he spoke. "-Physics Professor Anna Marconi. NYU Professor of Robotics and Physics, Doctor Ho Yinsen. Nobel Prize-Winner Doctor Lyle Getz. And lastly, Atomic Scientist Elihas Starr. I am the esteemed Doctor Phillip Lawson and you are wasting my time. Proceed!"

" ***Ahem*** Imagine, if you will-" "Oh God." Chen panicked when Doctor Lawson said that. "-the next step in human evolution being _so_ close, that we overlook it! I am talking about mutation, of course."

He pressed a button, bringing up the next slide of what appeared to be...

"These are the the chromosomes that make up both humans and mutants. The key difference is along the lines of the 23rd chromosome, which as seen in many cases before, grants particular individuals extraordinary powers."

"Your point being?" spoke Elihas Starr.

"What if we could control which certain individuals receive these powers? Humans who have are already fully matured." Chen questioned. "I have spent the past seven months immunizing myself against the harmful effects of radiation, and theorize that if someone such as myself, whose becoming this immune to radiation, were to be exposed to massive doses of specific-particle radiation, not only would the person survive, but the body would mutate!"

"Enough! The committee members will now vote 'Yay' or 'Nay' - Nay!" Doctor Lawson said.

"Nay." Elihas Starr stated.

"Nay." Lyle Getz added.

"Nay. The chances of surviving such doses of radiation - which mind you are lethal - are slim to none!" Professor Marconi stated.

"Nay." Doctor Yinsen stated. "Doctorate denied."

 **-Vortex-**

"Those bastards!" Chen yelled, tossing twenty-five pages of his blood, sweat and tears to the ground.

How could they?! How **DARE** they!?

Perhaps if he had a clearer mind, he would've thought twice about what he was going to do next, but he didn't.

He didn't think as he hailed a cab, nor would he think when he arrived at his destination...

"Where to, sir?" the driver asked.

"Indian Point Energy Center."

 **-Vortex-**

"Alright, that's enough, Jan." Henry "Hank'" Pym, more commonly known as Ant Man, was a twenty-eight year-old man that stood at 6'0" with brown hair and hazel eyes.

He was a professor, a superhero, a trainer in the case of Jan, but of all these things, he'd rather be doing his research on ants instead.

Recently, he'd made a new deal with S.H.I.E.L.D., one that he believes would be more beneficial to villains than just locking them up...

" ***RING* *RING* *RING*!** " Speak of the Devil, and he shall appear.

Nick Fury was calling him... that was never a good sign.

"Hello?" he called out.

"Hank, we have a problem." Fury stated.

"Ugh. What is it now?" Hank groaned.

"What? Is it a bad guy?" Jan asked, Hank silencing her by holding his hand up.

"Jan let me handle this..." Hank said. "Is it a bad guy?"

"There's been an incident at the Indian Point Energy Center."

"Indian Point - that's thirty-six miles from Midtown! Why are you calling me?"

"Thor is already arriving on the scene, but it appears as if it's making its way towards your location."

"Fury, you still haven't told me - what is 'it'?" Hank questioned.

"We believe it to be a Mutant."

 **-Vortex-**

"Whoa, dude..." Naruto's roommate - Sasuke Uchiha - whispered, watching the live news alongside Naruto.

"I don't get it. What the hell's going on?" Naruto asked.

"No clue, but if Thor's on the scene you know it's bad." Sasuke responded.

"Hmm... Thor, huh?" Naruto mumbled...

Maybe going the villain route _wasn't_ the best idea. Perhaps going down there and helping out Thor would be the right thing to do, getting him on the track of a hero!

The more he thought about it, the more convinced he was that he should try and help!

"I gotta go, man. See you around." Naruto said, getting a halfhearted goodbye from Sasuke, who was more focused on the chaos unraveling on the television.

It's time for Vortex to appear once again!

...

A stray thought just occurred to him - he'd have to travel up the Hudson River to get there in good time.

Fuck!

 **-Vortex-**

Chen Lu had done it! His thesis **was** correct!

Sneaking into the facilities was rather easy, at least compared to the excruciating pain that came with the mutation process, **but it was all worth it!**

No longer was he a scrawny, little man. Now, he towered at 6'6"!

Sure, his hair had fallen out, and his eyes glowed like a yellow fire, his clothes were torn from being too small, revealing glowing green skin and bulging muscles, but i **t was all worth it!**

 **Those judges that denied his doctorate... they would pay!**

Before he knew it, he was traveling down the Hudson River, attracting quite a lot of media and law enforcement in his wake - the latter of which backed off once the superhero named Thor arrived.

 **But the Asgardian was no match for his newfound strength and pre-existing intellect! Nothing could stop him!**

"Hey, uhh... radio... active... man?" a new voice called out to him. He begun looking left and right for its source!

A new opponent, perhaps?

"Oi! Over here!" There! In the waters! Was...

" **Who are you?** " Chen - _Radioactive Man_... demanded.

"Yeah, hey - name's Vortex-" Naruto introduced himself, fully garbed in his 'villain' outfit. "-and you are?"

" **I am the mighty RADIOACTIVE MAN!** " he roared, flexing his new muscles as he spoke.

"Okay, well, here's the thing - and hear me out on this - can you, kinda... I don't know, fuck off?" Naruto asked meekly, shrinking under the towering form of Radioactive Man.

" **I will not be pushed around by the likes of you, nor anyone else!** " Radioactive Man yelled.

"But here's the thing: You're really _really_ _**reaaaaaallllyyyyyyy**_ destructive! I mean, for crying out loud, look behind you!" Naruto argued, motioning to the radioactive trail he was leaving in his wake.

The part of Chen that was a scientist became horrified at the sight! Miles of green sludge contaminating the Hudson River!

He may not be an environmental scientist, but goddammit he still respected the environment!

Yet here he was, practically spitting in the face of Mother Nature...

 **It would all be worth it in the end.**

" **GrrrrrrRR!** " Radioactive Man held his head in pain!

Was this power corrupting him? _Did_ this power corrupt him?!

Maybe... just maybe, there was a chance for him to redeem-

" ***KLANG*!** " Whatever thoughts he had were interrupted when a certain hammer found its way into his gut, sending him flying back along the green, goop-y trail he left.

...

"Oooooh shit." Naruto muttered under his breath, casting his gaze up to the sky just in time to see the legendary hammer Mjölnir return to its wielder...

Thor Odinson, the warrior from Asgard who came to Midgard, stood at 6'6" with long blond hair and piercing blue eyes. He resembled something from Norse mythology, donning a silver helmet, a red cape, black armor with silver circles, red wristbands, a large golden belt, blue tights, and long golden shoes...

As if Radioactive Man wasn't intimidating already, he _paled_ in comparison to the God of Thunder before his very eyes.

"You there, in the waters!" Thor boomed, floating down to a terrified Naruto. "Why art thou hither? For what purpose bringeth thee to this square?!"

Just the sound of his voice was enough to make Naruto almost soil his pants.

He wasn't here to fight _him_! He wanted to live!

 _How could this possibly get any worse?!_

"Hah... well, you see-"

"VORTEX!"

"... Shit."

 **-Vortex-**

Of ALL the heroes to show up, why did it have to be Ant Man and Wasp?

This wasn't even their usual area! Why couldn't it have been someone like Iron Man, or Spiderman, or-

... Actually, now that he thought about it, Ant Man and Wasp _were_ his best options... fuck.

"O-Ohh... h-hey, Wasp..." Naruto laughed sheepishly, sweating when Thor flew away to meet Ant Man and Wasp by the shore.

"Who art thou to interrupt my battle? Speaketh thy name." Thor demanded.

"I'm Ant Man, and this is Wasp." Hank said. "We were the closest nearby so S.H.I.E.L.D. sent us as backup to help you."

"You must take the son of Odin to be a fool!" Thor laughed. "I do not need 'backup', as you say."

"Well good! 'Cause Vortex is my fight!" Jan exclaimed, glaring at the frozen 'villain'.

"Aha! You mortals continue to surprise me! Despite thy puny stature, I can see a small spark of Asgardian fire in thee!" Thor complimented Wasp, patting the shorter woman on the back and nearly knocking her down. "I see that this is thy square, and I shalt not intervene!"

"W-What?!" Naruto comically cried out.

If this were an anime, he would have tears gushing like waterfalls coming out of his eyes...

" **THOOOOOOOOORRR!** " Radioactive Man shouted, firing a heat blast at the Asgardian warrior.

Thor flew up in the air to avoid the incoming blast, but Ant Man and Wasp would not be as lucky...

Even if they could shrink down in time, they still wouldn't be fast enough to escape the area of effect of the heat.

All they could do is brace for-

" ***FWOOSH*!** " a torrent of water slammed into them, engulfing them just moments before the heat blast arrived upon them.

It felt like a warm bath, then a _hot_ bath, and just as it began to feel as if they were being boiled alive, their water cocoons receded.

" **You!** " Radioactive Man yelled at Naruto. " **What the hell are you thinking?!** "

"I - well - I didn't _know_ you'd be attacking the same time as _me_!" Naruto exclaimed in defense.

" **You could've seen my attack coming from a mile away!** "  
"I thought it was supposed to be a distraction!"  
" **Why the hell would you think that?! What** _ **ever**_ **gave you the idea that I was making a distraction?!** "

"You see - you see! There, right there! Communication! We. Need. To. Communicate. More!"  
" **Bah! That's bullshit! You're just making up excuses!** "  
"Look, what happened, happened! Alright? Let's just focus back on the fight before you get hit by the hammer again."

" **What do you mean, get hit by the-** " " ***KLANG*!** "

"I tried to warn him, I really did." Naruto stated, turning to the trio of heroes. "Well... I guess this is the best time to leave... bye!"

And with that, Naruto willed the water around him to create a current that sent him back the direction he came from - back to New York City!

"STOP!" Jan exclaimed, turning back just in time to see Thor retrieve his hammer and leap after Radioactive Man.

"You go take care of Vortex. I'll help Thor." Hank stated, receiving a curt nod from the auburn haired woman before she shrunk down and flew after Vortex.

He shrunk as well, whistling for a flying ant to pick him up and follow after Thor and Radioactive Man.

The true battle had just begun...

 **-Vortex-**

"Go go go go go go go go go!" Naruto chanted, moving as fast as the waves could carry him.

"Gotta get outta here! Gotta get outta here! Gotta - uwooh! Son of a BITCH!" A force which felt like a tiny fist at first turned into a football tackle-level force, sending him flying off his wave and into the maw of the river.

"You're not getting away _that_ easy!" Jan exclaimed as Naruto resurfaced.

"How did you catch up to me! You're, like, the size of a wasp - _ooohhh_... now... now I get it..." Naruto felt like an idiot for not realizing it before, but Wasp could shrink down to... well, the size of a _wasp_...

He was learning life lessons left and right, it seemed...

"I can do more than just that!" she yelled, her hands lighting up with a yellow energy.

"Oh wow, what's that do _OoOoOoOoOoOHHHHHHHHHHHH_!" Naruto cried out in pain when he was 'stung' by Wasp.

"Huh. Neat." Jan muttered to herself.

Apparently bio-electrical energy bursts were _still_ a form of electricity, and water conducts electricity...

Luckily the current was only spread out to Vortex, and not the entire Hudson River...

Meanwhile, Naruto was barely conscious!

Having the equivalent of a taser run its course through your body wasn't exactly a pleasant feeling.

"Well, I guess I've discovered your weakness, Vortex!" Jan exclaimed, her hands lighting up with bio-electrical energy once more.

"N-No more Toaster Stroodles for me, mommy, I'll stick with the purple caravan..." Naruto muttered deliriously, subconsciously willing the water he stood on to splash in his face. "Urrgh! I think I'll go for a little dip..."

"Don't you-!" Before Jan could even finish her exclamation, he jumped into the water, disappearing under the murky waters and from her sights.

...

"DAMMIT!" After a few minutes when he didn't resurface, Jan assumed he ran away... again.

She would defeat him one day! Which to her meant capturing the elusive villain!

Her heart was pounding in her chest, a strange, almost joyous feeling buzzing in her brain...

She could almost compare it to a predator stalking its prey! The exhilaration she felt!

Run-of-the-mill villains would always pop up once or twice, maybe three times - but each time they were defeated and locked away, yet _he_ escaped! He was the only one that's ever gotten away from her!

Yet... another thought occurred to her, one that perplexed her to no end...

When the heat blast from Radioactive Man was approaching them...

"Did... Did Vortex _save_ us...?"

 **-Vortex-**

"Hey!" Hank exclaimed, zipping out of the way as Radioactive Man fired another heat blast. "You look like you could use a hand there, Thor!"

" ***PSHEEEEEWWWW*!** " a second heat blast landed its mark, hitting Thor dead on.

When the smoke from the blast settled, Thor, albeit a bit burned and bruised, still stood (Or floated, in this case) where he originally was.

"Do not interfere, this is my square!" Thor exclaimed, swinging his hammer and dashing towards Radioactive Man...

Only to be hit full on by another heat blast.

"Are you sure about that?" Hank repeated his offer.

"I am an Asgardian warrior! And I will not be bested by-" Thor's rant was cut short when Radioactive Man grabbed him by his feet, and proceeded to slam him into the ground back and forth, back and forth, _back and forth_...

Until the mighty god of thunder was seeing little lightning bolts dancing in his vision.

" **Heh. Puny warrior...** " Radioactive Man laughed while Thor released a small, but audible groan...

...

"Now do you want me to help?" Hank asked.

"... Well enow..." Thor conceded. "What plan doth thou has't in mind?"

"Well... why doesn't he pick on someone his own size?" Hank asked rhetorically.

 **Radioactive Man** **knew he was powerful, but** _ **this**_ **powerful?!**

Why was everything getting larger all of a sudden?

No wait, he was getting _smaller_!

"That is an extraordinary power thou has't thither!" Thor said, pulling himself out of the ground and recalling Mjölnir to his side.

" **What have you done to me?!** " Radioactive Man exclaimed, now the mere size of an ant.

"If you would, Thor." Hank said.

"T'would be my pleasure!" And with that, Thor dropped his hammer on Radioactive Man.

...

"... Is he dead?"  
" **Urrrghh...** "  
"Oh good, that makes things easier. Hopefully S.H.I.E.L.D. is on its way by now." Hank stated.

"I thank thee for thine aid. Farewell, mortal!" Thor exclaimed, flying off into the distance far, far away...

"... I wonder how Jan is faring?"

 **-Vortex-**

"Ahh... that was close..." Naruto muttered, still a tad bit jittery from the electrical shock as he exited the water near a pier in Battery Park.

Sure, the sun had already set by the time he got here, but he was certain that he wasn't being fol-

"My oh my, what do we have here~?"

... Goddammit.

But that voice... that _seductive_ voice! It sent chills up Naruto's spine.

It was the perfect combination of erotic, yet deadly... he wasn't quite sure why that last one, but his instinct told him so...

"Wh... Who's there?" he called out, summoning a tendril of water to guard his back.

He didn't need to wait for long, as a new figure came out from the shadows and into the lamp light...

 _She_ was beautiful, the definition of femme fatale. She stood at 5'7" with long, silky red hair and green eyes. Her attire consisted of a black jumpsuit that hugged her slender hourglass figure, and wore a pair of wrist gauntlets and black high-heel boots.

As well as a breathtaking shade of red lipstick, Naruto absentmindedly noticed...

"Hello, darling~" she spoke, a sultry smirk on her face that made Naruto blush a little...

He _did_ kinda, sorta... definitely had a red hair fetish.

Hell, he even had to adjust his pants to hide his growing erection.

"Uhh... hi! W-Who are y-you?" Naruto asked, freezing in place when the woman began to _saunter_ over to him, swaying her hips ever-so slightly - enough to attract Naruto's attention...

"Who I am is of no concern to you. What I'm more interested in is _you_ ~" she stated, mere _centimeters_ separating her body from his...

"I... I-I'm Vortex..." Naruto replied, sweating a little at how close this woman - this _gorgeous_ woman - was from him. "N-Nice to m-m-meet you!"

"Hmm~ I can see that~" she said, an almost invisible tinge of red on her cheeks as she felt a certain part of his anatomy poke her.

"S-So, uhh... w-why-?" he immediately went silent when she pressed one of her fingers against her lips, making a 'shh' noise.

"You are attracting a _lot_ of attention, Vortex. Some of it good~" Her hand reached down and she began to stroke his member (Naruto never cursed wearing pants before this moment). "And some of it bad."

"Eep! Too hard! Too hard!" Naruto exclaimed, his voice an octave higher than it usually was. He relaxed when her grip loosened a bit.

"My point is, good boys get rewarded~ And bad boys are punished! Do you understand?" she questioned, Naruto furiously nodding his head, causing a smirk to appear on her lips. "Good."

She then leaned forward, dragging her chest against his, and planted a chaste kiss _just_ on the edge of his lips for a brief second before moving his head so that her lips met his ear.

Just as quickly as she went in, she pulled away from Naruto, eliciting a groan from the blond at being blue-balled.

"I'll be keeping an eye on you, boy. As will _others_." The way she said that last word left Naruto confused on whether it was supposed to sensual... or a warning. "Their eyes and ears are _my_ eyes and ears, and they are everywhere. Just keep that in mind while you're playing heroes and villains."

With her piece said, she spun on her heels and began to walk away from Naruto, swaying her hips in a less than subtle manner which his eyes were glued on...

And he never even got her name...

 **"Will you walk into my parlour?" said the Spider to the Fly,**

 **'Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy;**

 **The way into my parlour is up a winding stair,**

 **And I've a many curious things to show when you are there.**

Chapter End

* * *

 **POST AN: AAAAAAAAANNNNNNNDDDDDDDD DONE! I know I may have portrayed Thor wrong in the way he speaks, but that's the closest I'll get to Shakespearean speak.**

 **As for the Marvel animated universe, do Ultimate Spiderman and other Marvel animated series occur in the same universe as Avengers Earth's Mightiest Heroes? If not, oh well. I'm gonna try to keep Marvel as Marvel is: A big picture that's focused on a smaller image.**

 **So the mystery lady at the end is pretty obvious. But if you didn't get the hint, it's Natasha Romanoff a.k.a. Black Widow... and she's sexy as fuck. Then again, most female superheroes are.**

 **Anyways, I'll see you guys next time! Read and Review!**

 **-CrimsonKyuubiSage out!**


	3. Chapter 3 - A Night Out

**AN: Heeeeeeeeeeeelllllllllllooooooooo People! CrimsonKyuubiSage here!**

 **Hey, did you guys see the new trailer for "Logan"? It reminds me of Old Man Logan from Earth-807128 (I looked it up, the film's actually going to be based on the Old Man Logan comics). I like seeing how the two types of Marvel films contrast - the ones made by 21st Century and the ones made by Disney, the former of which seem more dark than the latter.**

 **And Now Onto Reviewing Your Reviews!**

 **enjox27 - I did not know that there is such a thing as non-conducting water... huh. Neat.**

 **Fighting Joe - I never imagined Naruto to be like Catwoman, at least not in this story. That story is Overwatch Rising.**

 **DragonPony022 - This story started a few years before the start of the episodes, so it is safe to assume that Jan's views on good and evil are more black and white. And Naruto has the potential to become an Omega-level Mutant, but he isn't one just yet.**

 **omar. cornelius. 9 - Speaking of mutants...**

 **Cj - For all intents and purposes, let's just make Naruto this universe's version of Hydro Man or whatever the fuck his name is.**

 **And Now On With The Story! Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter Start

 **-Vortex-**

Every so often, Naruto would break from his usual routine and go out to a nearby coffeehouse for breakfast.

He couldn't quite remember the name of the coffeehouse, despite being inside and sitting at one of the tables near the large glass window...

It was quite relaxing, really. He had a Cappuccino with cinnamon and the foam styled in a spiral pattern held in his right hand, and a book written by his godfather called 'The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi'...

He heard the rustling sound of a chair being dragged on the ground, which meant someone was sitting at the next table in front of him.

Glancing up briefly, Naruto was caught off guard when the person sitting at the table facing him... was a beautiful woman.

There was no other way to describe her but using the word 'beautiful'. It was like she was something out of a magazine!

She stood at 5'10" with vibrant blue eyes and platinum blond hair that went halfway down her back, as well as a shade of pink lipstick on her pillowy lips. She had a perfect body, nearly an hourglass figure with a slightly more plump rear, as well as perky C-cup borderline D-cup breasts, if what his godfather taught him in the ways of figuring out a woman's bra size was correct.

It was obvious this woman knew she had a killer figure, and she wasn't afraid to flaunt it. She was wearing light gray stretch pants which clung to her tightly, outlining her luscious curves, light brown shoes, a white v-neck t-shirt that was one size too small (He wasn't complaining though) with the letters **ESU** written in light blue, and through her shirt Naruto could barely make out the outline of her bra, which he assumed to be a slightly darker shade of blue or a variant of the color...

And she was staring right at _him_.

His face quickly became flushed in embarrassment, and to hide his shame he gazed down at his book, bringing it up slightly to hide the slight shade of red his cheeks had become. The woman simply giggled, smirking almost in a victorious manner before attending to her Cappuccino.

The woman licked her lips in anticipation - not of the coffee she had, but of a secret only she knew...

She had found her target.

...

For the past thirty minutes, Naruto had been drinking his Cappuccino, reading his book, and sneaking glances at the woman across from him.

She seemed calm, relaxed, usually closing her eyes and enjoying the serenity of the moment while drinking her coffee.

And when Naruto wasn't eyeing the beauty, he could feel her eyes fall upon him. Sometimes he would look up and catch her staring at him, the same sultry smirk on her lips each time.

By now, both of them had finished their drinks, and Naruto was just marking the page in his book he stopped on...

When he placed the book down, he was startled to find the woman had gotten up from her seat and made her way over to his table, a napkin held gently between her fingers.

She blew him a kiss before winking, placing the napkin she was holding on top of his book before sauntering away...

Naruto's eyes were glued to her form until she was no long within his range of sight, after which he looked down at the napkin she left him with...

It was her phone number, along with a lipstick mark in the corner, her name and the words 'Call me' with a winking face scribbled below her number.

His luck was freaking amazing!

 **-Vortex-**

"This is amazing!" Hank exclaimed, having just made another breakthrough in mapping ant genomes.

To other people, this may not seem like a big deal, but to Hank this was his passion, his hobby, his _life_!

"That's great!" Jan cheered, a sly idea forming in her mind. "We should go out and celebrate!"

"Huh? Yeah, that sounds like a great idea!" Hank agreed.

"Maybe... dinner tonight at the Refinery Hotel Rooftop?" she suggested, blushing a little at the thought...

"The Refinery Hotel? Isn't it kinda hard to get a reservation last minute?" Hank questioned.

"Oh it's impossible... for most people. But I can make a few calls and get us a table tonight!" Jan stated. ' _And a room~..._ ' she added mentally.

"Well... sure, why not? I think we've earned it after this breakthrough." Hank responded.

"Sweet! Meet me at the hotel's lobby at eight sharp!" Jan said, zooming out of the room to get ready for her 'date' with Hank.

"Hm..." Hank hummed, resuming his work and gluing his eyes to a microscope...

No rest for the wicked.

 **-Vortex-**

"What's got you so smug?" Sasuke asked his roommate, the blond puffing out his chest in pride after looking at a message on his phone.

"Let's just say... I've got a date with a super hot chick that's interested in me." Naruto boasted, causing Sasuke to do a double take.

"Dude, for real?" he questioned, Naruto nodding his head in affirmation.

"Hell yeah, bro!" Naruto exclaimed. Sasuke scoffed, brushing off the blond's excitement as if it were nothing.

"You're lying, Naruto."  
"Am not!"  
"What's her name?"

"Emma. Emma... Frost."

"What's this girl look like?"

"Blond, body ten, face ten, a killer ass..."  
"Sounds too good to be true, dude."

"I shit you not, good sir."

"Oh yeah? Then prove it."

Almost as if some cosmic force was watching over them, Naruto's phone vibrated. Emma had sent him a new message with a photo attached...

" _ **Im thinking about wearing this tonight... u like? Or should i wear nothing underneath at all ;)**_ "

The picture attached was a selfie of her... wearing nothing more than a lacy white bra and panties...

...

"She looks like that." Naruto stated, showing Sasuke the picture.

"A-Ah..." he stuttered, stunned to near silence by his blond roommate's luck...

"I am the master!" Naruto laughed maniacally, very much enjoying the sight of Sasuke curled up on the ground, rocking back and forth whilst muttering 'I'm in a happy relationship' over and over.

Tonight is going to be amazing!

 **-Vortex-**

Jan brushed off the microscopic specs of dust from her yellow dress. Everything had to be _perfect_!

Being rich had its perks - one of which was stealing a last minute room and reservation from a couple who bailed or failed.

Plus the hotel had sent a free bottle of champagne and two wine glasses to her room!

So now here she was, waiting for Hank in the Refinery Hotel lobby, two minutes away from eight o'clock...

"Hey Jan." She mentally released a sigh of relief at the sound of Hank's voice. For a moment, she had begun to worry.

"Hi Hank!" Jan chirped, grabbing Hank's hand and dragging him to the elevator. "Let's have a good time, yeah?"

 **-Vortex-**

Naruto tugged at the orange tie around his neck.

At Emma's request, he was wearing formal attire for their date - a black suit, black pants, a white dress shirt and an orange tie. It was a weird request, but hey - she was hot, there was no way he'd fuck this up (intentionally).

And now, here he was, waiting for his date to meet him...

Imagine his surprise when she pulled up in a limousine.

"Uhh... wow." was all Naruto could say, seeing the luxury sedan pull up at the curb. The rear window on his side rolled down, and a delicate, manicured hand beckoned him inside...

Who was he to refuse?

Emma was wearing a white, asymmetric dress which only covered her right shoulder, her hips and most of her right leg, showing off her left shoulder, most of her smooth, flawless bare back, and her left leg - which was currently crossed atop her right leg...

The front of his pants were suddenly becoming _very_ constraining.

"Well... how do I look?" she asked, a playful smirk on her face as if she already knew the answer.

"Beautiful! No, hot! No, sexy! Uhh..." Naruto sputtered, tugging at his shirt's collar.

Emma giggled at his reaction, beckoning him to come closer almost like how the Sirens lured in sailors to their doom with their silky voices...

"Here, take this." Emma stated, handing Naruto... an orange mask?

"Huh? What's this for?" he questioned, holding the orange mask curiously...

For some reason, he thought the mask resembled a fox.

"We're going to a masquerade ball, darling. We must dress the part." she replied, putting on a white version of the mask she handed Naruto.

...

"A masquerade ball?" Naruto asked. "Where exactly are we going?"

"The Provocateur Nightclub."

 **-Vortex-**

Hidden off in the meatpacking district of New York City was a diamond in the rough, the nightclub known as _Provocateur_.

This club had a very exclusive crowd made up of models, the rich, and the famous. There were some allowed in who didn't fit these three categories, but usually they knew someone who did, and once you're in, you're _in_...

And now, so was he.

The bouncer almost immediately recognized Emma, rushing to open the door for her, beads of sweat running down his body.

"R-Right this way, ma'am!" he exclaimed, a hint of fear in his voice.

Emma wrapped her arm around Naruto's waist, pulling him along and into the club.

Inside the club was absolutely amazing! Hot, sexy models mingling with eccentric millionaires and billionaires, hell, Naruto was even sure he saw a couple of celebrities in the mix.

All of them were wearing masquerade masks, laughing and enjoying themselves without a care in the world. Some of the guests said 'hi' to Emma, a few guys and gals looking at either Naruto or Emma (or both) in jealousy as the latter guided the former through the crowds of people.

Champagne, cocaine, gasoline, and most things in between. The night was turning into a blur...

Naruto was dancing with Emma when suddenly she grabbed his hands, dragging him along to another location.

Eventually, she led him up into the lounge, rich pigs and gold diggers filling up the booths that they went by.

"Where are we going?" Naruto asked, his eyes drifting slightly to one of the lounge booths...

For a second, he thought he saw Tony Stark of Stark Industries.

"Somewhere more _private_ ~" Emma replied, making Naruto move just a little bit faster.

...

"So, uhh..." Naruto began as Emma slammed the door shut.

 _"*SLAP*!" She suddenly slapped him across the face before pushing him onto the couch in the room._

 _"Shut up already." Emma said in an authoritative tone, moving to straddle the whiskered blond and effectively pinning him before smashing her lips against his own._

 _A duet of moans filled the room as their passionate make out session turned into heavy petting. Emma practically tore the top of her dress off, revealing her flawless perky mounds and erect nipples._

 _Naruto reached out and grasped her twin funbags, eliciting a louder moan from Emma as..._

...

Emma stared down at the blond boy whose mind she was manipulating, her emotions torn between disgust and pity. Disgust because she saw what events that he was seeing, and pity because of how easy it was to do it.

How was she doing this? It was her mutation.

She was a mutant - an Omega class - and one of her powers was psionic in nature, telepathy.

Over the years of her life, her finesse over the matters of the mind grew. She could read and alter minds, but one ability she prided herself on more than some of the others was what she called 'Mental Detection' - the ability to sense the presence of another superhuman mutant.

Her range was nowhere near the abilities of Professor X, but it was still large enough that she could sense anyone close to her proximity.

Then one day, as she was passing by a coffeehouse, she felt a presence she hadn't felt in a long time...

It was a mutant - not just any mutant, but a _potential Omega class_!

She was quite surprised when she found out it was a boy only nineteen years of age. It made it all the more easier to lure him to where they are now. Flash a small smile, show a lot of skin - it was like taking candy from a baby when it came to seducing him.

Another moan from Naruto caught her attention as she stared at him apathetically, then her eyes drifted down to the bulge in his pants...

Well, at least it seemed he had _that_ going for him. Maybe she would even indulge in some of his illusions, make them happen outside of his mind.

Come to think of it, it _has_ been a while since she last scratched that itch...

"So this is the guy you've been telling me about." a new voice called out. "I must admit, I never pictured you to be someone who chases after younger men."

Emma turned around, coming face to face with a man standing at 6'2" with slicked back black hair and brown eyes. He, like nearly every other man at the party, wore a black suit with black pants, a white dress shirt, and a black bow tie, as well as he held a glass of scotch in one hand while his other was tucked away in his pants' pocket.

Next to him was a woman that stood at 5'7" with black hair done up in a bun and blue eyes hidden behind a masquerade mask. She simply wore a black minidress, black high heels, and _nothing_ else.

"Shaw. Tessa." Emma greeted the duo. Shaw silently walked closer to the blond man, inspecting him for a few seconds before turning back to Emma.

"I'm curious - what do you see in him exactly?" Shaw questioned.

"He's a potential Omega class." she replied, causing Shaw to raise an eyebrow.

"Interesting... Release him." Shaw ordered.

...

 _Naruto couldn't believe his luck! Scoring on the first date with a world class, most likely super rich hottie!_

 _Emma was writhing under his touch, her hands planted firmly on both of his shoulders as his own caressed her curves. He reached one hand up and fondled her breasts, pinching and tweaking her nipple while he did so, and his other hand traveled south..._

...

Just as he was about to insert his index finger, she disappeared.

Naruto blinked in confusion, noticing that instead of fingerbanging Emma, she was now standing over him - fully clothed - with two other people in the room that he didn't recognize...

"... What?" was the only intelligent response Naruto could come up with.

"This boy has no psionic shielding, does he." Shaw stated more than asked.

"None whatsoever." Emma replied.

"Psionic shielding? Emma, what the fuck is going on?" Naruto asked, casting a weary glance at all three of them.

"You, my boy, fell for the oldest trick in the book of telepathy." Shaw replied.

"So... what I saw was-" Naruto began.  
"Just an illusion." Tessa finished.

"The sex or the entire..." Naruto questioned.  
"Just the sex." Emma responded.

...

"Son of a bitch! How did I not see she was a honeycomb!" Naruto exclaimed.

"... I'm a what?" Emma questioned.

"What does that even mean?" Tessa asked.  
"She honey-potted me! It's honey-pot!" Naruto cried out.  
"You honey-potted him?" Shaw queried.  
"I did not honey-pot him." Emma replied.

"She honey-potted him." Tessa stated.

"I've said a lot of stupid shit before, but for reals, you did honey pot me." Naruto responded before pointing to Shaw. "I bet you got him in here as a honey-dick just in case I was gay, but I'm not. But if I was, I would've seen it coming from a mile away."

"You're honey-dicking?" Tessa questioned Shaw.

"Look, she might be honey-potting him, but I'm not honey-dicking him." Shaw said.

"It's very offensive because basically if you think about what you're saying to me, you're saying because I'm a girl, and because I'm attractive, my only use for this group is to manipulate men." Emma argued.

"I'm not saying that, I'm just saying you honey-potted me!"  
"It does seem like you honey-potted him, Emma."  
"Definitely honey-potted him."  
"Alright, fine! I 'honey-potted' him! There, you happy?!"

"What... like in general?" Naruto asked. Emma cried out in frustration before concentrating on the blond man.

Suddenly, Naruto felt his right arm go numb. He craned his head to see what was the problem... only to be punched in the face... by his own fist.

"I can make you beat yourself to death, and right now I'm very tempted to..." Emma began, only to stop when Shaw raised his hand.

"Alive. For now..." Shaw said, causing Emma to growl before releasing her control over Naruto.

"What. The. Fuck. Is. Happening?!" Naruto yelled.

"We know you are a mutant." Shaw began. Just as Naruto was about to start panicking, Shaw raised his hand up and made a 'shh'ing noise. "Calm down, we aren't going to tell anyone."  
"Uhh... thanks, I guess?" Naruto said hesitantly.

"As you clearly saw, Emma here is a mutant, as am I and my female companion, Tessa, over there." Shaw stated, taking a seat on the couch right next to Naruto.

"What does that have to do with me?" Naruto questioned, nervously looking at the calmly composed man.

"Well, you see, Naruto Uzumaki, your mutation... _intrigues_ us." Shaw said, swirling the scotch in his glass as he spoke. "We would like to see a live demonstration of it."

"A... And if I refuse?" Naruto asked hesitantly.

"Hmm... I guess we would just have to kill you, then. A shame, really." Shaw responded casually, turning to look Naruto in the eyes and strike fear into the blond. "Is that your answer?"

"... I need my disguise! I-It's hidden somewhere on campus, and-" Naruto exclaimed.

"You mean this one?" Shaw rhetorically asked, motioning for Tessa to grab a box in the corner of the room and give it to Naruto. When he opened it up...

It was his Vortex outfit. Cleaned, pressed and folded.

"W-Well... umm... I w-work better when I'm near a source of water."  
"That can be arranged."

 **-Vortex-**

Using Emma's psionic abilities, the trio - and Naruto, dressed in his Vortex outfit - were able to walk right out of Provocateur without so much as a second glance from anyone.

A limo was waiting outside for them, almost as if Shaw or Emma or Tessa knew that this would've happened...

Oh wait, they _did_ know this would happen.

"So... where to?" Shaw asked Naruto, his still calm demeanor making Naruto even more nervous.

"S-Some place with water, so... uhh... I guess maybe Chelsea Pier 54?" Naruto suggested.

"Driver!" Shaw called out, and almost immediately the limousine began to move, taking them to what Naruto assumed was going to be Pier 54.

...

The ride would take anywhere between four to eight minutes - four without traffic and eight with light traffic - but so far it has been the most awkward four to eight minutes for Naruto _ever_. Of all time...

Well, that wasn't necessarily true. Sure, it was in the top ten, but it wasn't number one, per say...

"So... you guys are mutants too, huh?" Naruto said, attempting to break the silence that permeated the room.

"Yes." Shaw replied.

"What... kind of superpowers do you guys have?" Naruto asked.

"Tessa and Emma are both telepaths, and I am able to absorb kinetic energy." Shaw stated.

"Is, uhh... is that it?" Naruto questioned.

"Our powers are much more complex than that, but that is the most apt description." Tessa responded.

"Okay, okay..." Naruto muttered.

Finally, the limousine stopped, and its occupants piled out.

"Can we go to the end of the docks for this?" Naruto requested.

"Lead the way." Shaw replied.

 **-Vortex-**

Jan's date was not going as planned. It was a pleasant meal, a great atmosphere, live music... and _nothing more_!

Hank was courteous, polite, but he didn't make any advances on her, nor did he reciprocate her attempts to flirt with him.

Her only solace was that crime seemed to have taken a break for tonight-

" ***RING* *RING* *RING*!** " Hank's phone rang, which was never a good sign.

Only three types of people called Hank: People from/associated with Greyburn College, telemarketers, and...

"It's S.H.I.E.L.D. calling." Hank stated, causing Jan to groan as he answered the call.

"Don't they have eyes and ears everywhere? That means they know now's not a good time." Jan stated.

"Uh huh... okay... alright." Hank muttered, hanging up and looking towards Jan.

"What is it this time?" Jan asked, an exasperated sigh escaping her lips.

"Vortex is apparently putting on a waterworks show down at Pier 54." Hank stated.

"Vortex?!" Jan questioned, a bit eager at the sound of her archenemy. She realized this and regained a bit of her composure. "I mean... can't another hero handle this?"

"Spider-Man might appear but the chances aren't likely, Iron Man can't be reached, the same thing with Thor, we're the only ones S.H.I.E.L.D. could reach." Hank said.

"Ugh..." Jan grunted, flagging their waiter over. "Check, please."

 **-Vortex-**

"Okay... I can do this." Naruto mumbled to himself, Shaw, Emma and Tessa looking at him expectantly.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" Emma motioned for him to hurry up.

"Just... I need to concentrate." Naruto said, willing a wall of water to shoot up. "There we go!"

"... Is that it?" Emma questioned, only for several tendrils of water to shoot out of the water wall. One picked up Naruto and acted as a platform for him to stand on, two wrapped around Tessa's feet and yanked her upside-down and dangled her midair, and the remaining four coiled around Emma's hands and feet and held her midair.

"I'm impressed." Shaw said, looking on as both his female companions were held in... _suggestive_ positions.

Not only could he control multiple tendrils of water with near effortless ease, they also had a _sexual_ use!

"I can also use water in its liquid and gaseous states... to some extent." Naruto stated.

"To what extent?" Tessa questioned, blood rushing to her face due to gravity.

Naruto responded by drawing out a ball of water for all three mutants to see, sending the ball high up in the air and then...

" ***FIZZ*!** " The ball exploded like a flashbang close enough that all four had a slight ringing in their ears.

"I'm still working on that one." Naruto said.

"And ice?" Shaw questioned. Naruto snapped his fingers, making the tendrils of water holding Emma and Tessa turn into ice.

"Is this good enough?" Naruto asked.

"Would you mind releasing Emma and I now?" Tessa requested. Naruto snapped his fingers again, turning the ice back into water and flipping Tessa right-side up, placing her back down on the ground gently...

Emma was unceremoniously dropped to the ground, most likely Naruto spiting her for honey-potting him.

"I believe-" Shaw began.

"VORTEX!"

Instinctively, Emma used her psionic powers to hide Tessa, Shaw and herself from the two new arrivals...

"You've got to be kidding me." Naruto mumbled.

Fucking Wasp and Ant Man were here now! He glanced over at Emma, Shaw and Tessa briefly before looking back at the crime fighting duo.

' _They can't see us. I've made sure of that._ ' Emma telepathically told Naruto.

'And why can't you do that for me too?'

' _They're here for you. It would be suspicious if you just suddenly disappeared._ '

'And so you're just going to up and leave me here?!'

' _We will be watching from a distance._ '

"What the heck are you doing out here, Vortex?" Ant Man called out.

"Oh, you know. Just enjoying the nightlife." Naruto said casually.

"I don't suppose you will just surrender without a fight, will you?" Hank questioned.

"Well, I would, but I don't want to go to jail anytime soon, so..." Naruto trailed off, summoning four water tendrils behind him.

In response, Jan shrunk down and flew off towards Naruto, charging up her "Wasp Stings" as she did so. Hank merely watched from a distance, intent on observing the two fight.

While he wasn't against fighting in certain cases, he was more of a pacifist than other superheroes he's heard of.

He believed there was always a reason for why a villain became a villain, and that the only way to truly defeat a villain was to rehabilitate them.

But for now, he would let Jan handle this fight. Vortex was _her_ nemesis, something he understood all too well...

"Last chance to surrender, Vortex!" Jan exclaimed, blasting bio-electric shots at Naruto.

Fortunately/Unfortunately, he had learned from his last experience with Wasp's stings. One of the water tendrils went under Naruto's feet, lifting him off the ground and evading the yellow blasts of energy.

"I find that hard to believe when you're trying to tase me!" Naruto retorted, drawing out six golf ball-sized water spheres and flinging them at Jan.

"What do you think those are gonna do-" " ***FIZZ*!** " Jan's taunting was interrupted when one of the six water spheres to exploded into mist, followed by another, and another... and another - this kept going on until all six of the spheres had exploded.

... The ringing in her ears and the whiteness she was seeing told her _exactly_ what those things did.

The last water flashbang sent her flying back over to Hank, who watched as she crashed into the concrete.

"Ooohhh..." she groaned, growing back to normal size.

...

"I guess this means I'll have to fight you, for the time being." Hank said calmly, slowly making his way towards Naruto.

"Is this the part where I'm supposed to say something arrogant or yadda yadda? Because..." Naruto trailed off, motioning to the three water tendrils waiting on his command.

"Did you know that Ant Man is not my only superhero code name?" Hank questioned.

"Uhh... was I supposed to know that?" Naruto retorted, tilting his head slightly as Hank adjusted his belt a little.

"Well, there's this neat little trick I can do. I can change from Ant Man..." Hank suddenly began to grow... and grow...

His shadow suddenly covered Naruto, who was so terrified by the sight of the superhero known for shrinking grow until he was twenty-five feet tall that he lost control of his water tendrils and they dropped back into the waves.

"-To Giant Man." Hank's voice boomed in his new colossal stature.

"... Shit-" was all Naruto could say before Hank's giant fists pounded him into the ground... several times.

When he moved his fists away to see if Naruto was knocked out (Read: Alive), he was quite shocked to find...

A puddle of water?

 **-Vortex-**

"What a shame... he's dead." Emma stated in a dry tone of voice.

"That fist had to have at least a force of ten tons." Tessa commented.

"Pay up, Shaw." Emma said, holding her hand out to Shaw expectantly.

"Now hold on just a minute." Shaw said.

"It's over, Shaw... isn't it?"

"..."

"... _No_."  
"Yes."  
"You have _got_ to be-"

"- _FUCKING KIDDING ME_!" Everyone - especially Hank - were surprised at the sound of Naruto's pissed off voice.

The puddle that had been in place of Naruto rose up, taking his form before the water began to turn into the color of skin, hair and fabric.

"That hurt like a bitch!" Naruto yelled, the water surrounding the pier becoming even more turbulent than before.

Even the water by Shaw, Emma and Tessa was effected, waves spiking up and threatening to splash the trio.

"I don't understand, how are you still conscious - much less alive?" Hank questioned.

"I don't know!" Naruto yelled, the waves becoming even more violent as his anger grew, something that Hank - and a fully recovered Jan - noticed.

' _Naruto, you need to calm down-_ '

'Fuck that! He fucking punched me so hard into the ground I was pulp!'

' _Look around! Look at what you're doing to the waters!_ '

"The waters?" Naruto mumbled under his breath. It was then, when he began to look around, that he saw what he was doing...

The waves had become so rough that the other surrounding piers were being affected.

'Am... Am I doing this?'

' _Yes, you are doing this. You need to calm down._ '

Taking a deep breath, Naruto did as Emma suggested and calmed down, as did the waves too.

"I think I've overstayed my welcome. See you around, Gi-Ant Man! Catch ya later, Wasp!" Naruto said cheekily, summoning a single water tendril and shooting out a water sphere by utilizing the tendril as a whip.

Knowing what was to come next, Naruto turned away and plugged his ears-

" ***FIZZ*!** " As soon as the sphere got close enough to Hank, it exploded in a flashbang-like manner, stunning both Giant Man and Wasp (On top of leaving a ringing in Naruto's ears) long enough for Naruto to run over and jump off the edge of the pier and sink beneath the waves...

Vortex had escaped... again.

"Dammit! He got away again!" Jan whined, stomping her foot on the ground childishly.

"His arsenal of skills is more than I expected." Hank commented, having shrunk back down to normal size. "Hydrokinesis, density manipulation, water transmutation... and those are the ones we know of."

"Well... what do you want to do now? The night _is_ still young." Jan questioned in a suggestive manner.

"Unfortunately, tomorrow is one of the days I actually _have_ to teach." Hank stated. "It was a wonderful night, but I think I'll call it in early, get some sleep." He suddenly shrunk, a flying ant ready to take him away. "Thanks for the meal! I'll see you back at Chapel Hall tomorrow for training!"

And with that, Hank zoomed away on a flying ant, leaving behind a flabbergasted - and saddened - Jan.

"But - I..." Jan stammered, watching the best she could as Hank left...

A tired sigh escaped her lips as sadness marred her face.

Well, at least she still had a room at the Refinery Hotel - with full room service!

And... a complimentary champagne bottle.

...

Screw it, it seemed like the best option at the moment.

 **-Vortex-**

"You have quite the versatile set of skills... I'm impressed." Shaw stated, he and his posse having found Naruto with almost effortless ease.

"I agree. I can see why Emma chose you." Tessa added.

"Chose me for what? You guys still haven't told me anything!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Let's not be too hasty, he still has to be approved by Selene. Otherwise he won't live long enough to join us." Emma countered.

"We will worry about Selene when we have to cross that bridge - if we ever need to." Shaw responded.

"Will somebody tell me what the fuck you're trying to get me into?!" Naruto yelled.

"For the time being, consider yourself an honorary White Bishop." Shaw stated.

"What does that mean?!"

"It means... welcome to the Hellfire Club."

...

"... The _what_ club?" Naruto asked.

" ***Never gonna give you up never gonna~*!** " Naruto's phone rang before he could get an answer, drawing an awkward silence from all four present.

"Is... that-" Emma began.

"Rick Astley... yeah..." Naruto interrupted, quickly answering the call.

He only set one person as that ringtone, and if she was calling this late at night...

"Uhh - Hello! Is this... Narto Uzumaki?" Imagine his surprise when an unknown male voice answered the other end.

"Na-ru-to - Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto corrected. "This is Jan's phone you're calling from and you're clearly not her, so who is this?"

"Yeah, my name is Owen Reece. I'm the bartender down at the Refinery Hotel." Owen stated. "Your, uhh... friend here, Janet, is... umm..."

...

"Oh you've got to be kidding me."

"I wouldn't be calling you if she wasn't. In fact she insisted I call _you_."

"I'll come and get her then. Make sure she doesn't do anything crazy."

"Can do." Owen hanged up the phone, causing Naruto to sigh.

"I don't suppose that limo is still nearby, and that I can use it, ne?" Naruto asked.

"Well... yes, but-" Shaw began.

"Look, it's been a really long night and all, so whatever you want to say to me, can it be said tomorrow?" Naruto interrupted.

"I suppose - but where _do_ you need to go that's more important?"

"To pick up a friend."

 **-Vortex-**

" _Woooooohoooooo!_ "

Naruto has seen quite a few number of people get drunk before - his godmother was, at the moment, a recovering alcoholic. But of all the people he'd thought to get drunk, Jan was not one of them.

Apparently, according to his new friend Owen, Jan stumbled into the hotel's bar area, bought a few too many drinks, and pissed off a few people in the process.

"Oh thank God you're here!" Owen exclaimed, barely holding back Jan from doing something she'd regret.

It was a good thing he swapped his Vortex outfit for his suit and tie back in the limo, he didn't need to create more of a scene than there already was.

"I'll take it from here." Naruto stated as Owen released her.

"That's right you *hiccup* fucker - oh _heyyyy_ Na-ru-toooo! What're _youuuuu_ doing... here?" Jan stumbled over to the blond, her face flushed red and a mischievous grin on her face.

"Do you know where her room is?" Naruto asked Owen.

"Here's here key and ID." Owen replied, sliding both items over to him. "Good luck."

" _We should go to a clubbb!_ "

"Yeah... thanks."

 **-Vortex-**

By some miracle, Naruto got Jan back into her room, and getting her on the bed was a whole lot easier than he thought it would have been-

" _But I don't wanna go to beeeeeddd~!_ "

"Jan, you're drunk."

"No I'm... isn't!"

"Yes, you are."

"No."  
"Yes."  
"No."  
"Yes."  
"Maybe."

"There! You admitted to being drunk!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Juuuuuuusssttt... a little! But _I'm not as think as you drunk I am!_ " Jan argued.

"I can just tell it's going to be fun dealing with you when you're hungover." Naruto muttered under his breath.

"Naruto... am I attractive?"

...

"What?" It was a simple, cognitive question she had asked, yet it was enough to make Naruto trip over nothing and reply with asking her to repeat herself.

"I **knew** it! You don't think I'm attractive at all!" Jan sobbed, her drunken emotions fluctuating into a depression.

"No no no! N-Not at all! I, uhh... I think you're really attractive!" Naruto panicked, trying to make her stop crying, to which she immediately did, and in place of her sobbing was a sly, fox-like, sultry smirk.

"Oh? So you _like_ me~?" Jan's drunken perception inferred.

Did... did he like Jan?

Sure, he would admit she was physically attractive, that was a given, but... God, they've been friends for what felt like forever now, to think about something more than 'just friends'...

"Jan, I-"  
" _Shhhhhhh_..." Jan reached over and placed her finger over Naruto's lips. "Come sleep with me tonight."

Her request was a simple one, and had Naruto not been physically and mentally drained from the day already, he would've objected to such command. But dammit it all, he was tired! And if he didn't do this, that probably meant another hour of trying to lull her to sleep, something he wasn't entirely sure he was up for.

"... Alright." Naruto complied, freaking out Jan began to strip. "W-What are you doing?!"

"It's _hot_ in this room!" she exclaimed, stripping down to her underwear before wiggling beneath the bed sheets.

And it wasn't like she was wrong. The room was kinda hot, and Naruto knew for certain if he slept in his suit he'd just suffer heat exhaustion. So he took off his suit jacket, followed by his tie, and so on and so forth until he was wearing only his boxers. Once he was stripped down, he was pulled onto the bed and under the covers by Jan.

"Ah... night, Jan." Naruto said, letting the day's exhaustion take him into blissful unconsciousness while Jan wrapped her arms around the blond's sides.

"Good night... Naruto~" she whispered...

And if Naruto had been a little more awake, he would've noticed when Jan leaned over and gave him a kiss...

Just another thing he'd deal with in the morning.

Chapter End

* * *

 **POST AN: AAAAANNNNNNDDDD DONE! I need to start watching whatever that Spider Man cartoon and the X-Men one so I can try to incorporate certain aspects of it into the story, maybe even a few Earth-616 references too...**

 **Also, for those of you who don't know, Owen Reece is Molecule Man. He will play a role in this story as more than just a bartender soon enough...**

 **Anyways, I'll see you guys next time! Read and Review! Ja mata!**

 **-CrimsonKyuubiSage out!**


	4. Chapter 4 - Midtown Riots

**AN: Heeeeeeeeeeeelllllloooooooo People! CrimsonKyuubiSage here! Sorry this took a while, but I've been drawn in by the open-game trap that is Skyrim... enough said.**

* * *

 **And Now Onto Reviewing Your Reviews:**

 **nightmaster000 - Maybe.**

 **PocketDuelMonsters - Jean and Naruto will eventually meet, that much is guaranteed.**

 **omar. cornelius. 9 - It's not just that this was Naruto's first true encounter with a mutant (That belongs to Radioactive Man technically), but he had no psionic shielding whatsoever to defend himself against Emma.**

 **Oniele - The flashbang thing only works with water, because a sudden shift from liquid to gaseous state like that ends in a burst. Blood is a more difficult substance to work with, because while water is present, it is more diluted in the body.**

 **DragonPony022 - Naruto isn't so much a dumbass, rather he's inexperienced dealing with enemies with psionic powers. But since this is his first encounter with a psychic, it makes sense that he wouldn't have anything to defend his mind against such a light assault. And this** _ **is**_ **Emma Frost we're talking about, a Level 10 psychic. To put things in perspective, Charles Xavier was a Level 9 psychic, and when he put a Level 9 psychic shield on Wolverine, Emma has claimed that she could easily take it down (And leave Logan as the equivalent of a three-year-old child). It's not to say she's without flaw, but she has a certain advantage over Naruto at this moment of time. You must also remember... Jan was drunk, so her memory might be a bit iffy the morning after, and Naruto was tired as all hell, so he'll have a slightly better chance of remembering than Jan. In terms of the mutant community, Naruto has kept his mutant identity mostly hidden, something that in the Marvel world could easily be excused as 'magic' or something else. But now that his being a mutant is exposed (albeit to a small, influential group of people), he will slowly but surely become involved in that identity of displacement from society... Oh, and he's definitely going to develop a secondary mutation. What and how are up to you to guess.**

 **Hanmac - I wonder how that would work. I mean, if she shrunk down in size to swim in a bowl of alcohol, could she see the alcohol molecules if she looked close enough? Duuuuuuuude/Duuuudddeeettttttteeee!**

 **Me ninja -NO HAREM!**

 **I love Inoyouchu Anime - In the timeline of the official Marvel universe, Naruto 'joined' the Hellfire Club just as Shaw took over the NY Branch. And sure, maybe he's dead in the 21st Century Cinematic Universe, but that's not the universe here. The good thing about Marvel is that it leaves room for the 'what if's and everything in between. Plus, Shaw's mutation allows him to de-age by absorbing kinetic energy, so he could appear as young as he wants to.**

 **And Now on With The Story! Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter Start

 **-Vortex-**

"Ugh... my head..." Jan groggily groaned, the early morning sun's rays piercing through the room's windows and gracefully illuminating her half-naked form...

As well as a half-naked Naruto, whose chest she was using as a pillow.

She would have screamed, but her voice was hoarse, to the point that it hurt to form words and vocalize them.

Plus, she was more focused on the dull throbbing in her head, a pain unlike any other she had experienced before...

'So this is what a hangover feels like...' she thought to herself, craning her head slightly to look at the sun's harsh rays that beat down on her like a relentless fist.

She groaned a bit louder, pulling the bed sheet up slightly and burying her face in her 'pillow', causing said pillow to stir.

"Nhh..." Naruto grunted, his eyes fluttering opening, only to be greeted by a mop of auburn hair against his chest.

"M... Morn... ing... Naruto." Jan managed to say in a gravelly voice.

"Jan? Ugh, what time is it?" Naruto asked, bringing his arm up to cover his eyes from the sunlight.

"..."

"Do you want me to make you coffee?" he suggested, only for Jan to shake her head 'no'. "Do you want me to just stay here until you recover?" She nodded her head, causing Naruto to sigh and pull the sheets up ever so slightly more.

It would be another hour before they moved from that spot.

"N... Naruto?"  
"Yeah, Jan?"

"I... Is that... poking me... what I think... it is?"

"..."  
"Naruto?"  
"Sorry, I can't help it."

"I... Idiot..."

"It's an involuntary reaction!"

"I... can feel... it wiggling..."

"..."

"..."

"... Coffee?"

"Y-Yes... please..."

...

" _ **New details are coming in about the alleged-**_ " Naruto ignored the near-mute television in favor of bringing Jan her coffee.

"Thanks..." Jan said, having recovered some of her voice for the time being. She grabbed the cup from Naruto's hands and took a sip.

"So, uhh... how much do you remember?" Naruto asked, sitting on the edge of her bed and partially blocking the sun as he put on the clothes he wore from the night before.

"Not much..." Jan held back the urge to upchuck her guts. "Did... did we-"

"No. As far as I can remember, we didn't do _that_." Naruto assured her, causing her to breath a sigh of relief. "You drank a lot, I'm surprised you aren't throwing up right now."

"Trust me, I'm trying not to." Just as Jan said that, she felt the urge to vomit come up once again. "Mhh! Mhh!" she exclaimed with her lips being the only barricade between the cool air and the contents of last night's dinner.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it." Naruto stated, reaching over and grabbing the nearby trash bin. "Here you go." he said, handing Jan the bin.

"Thanks - huuurrrrrrggghhhh!" Jan hurled, emptying her stomach's contents into the waste receptacle like there was no tomorrow.

Naruto could only pat her on the back as she threw up, awkwardly looking away as she did so.

"Just let it all out." Naruto muttered.

"Blaaaarrrrrrrrggggggghhhhhh!"

He got off the bed and looked around for a mini fridge, something that would have a water bottle or something. Luckily, he didn't have to go far, and found a crisp, cold bottle of Smart Water.

"Here, maybe this will help?" Naruto said hesitantly, handing Jan the bottle of water.

"Urgh... thanks..." Jan said, washing away the taste of vomit in her mouth.

"So... Anything else you remember?" Naruto questioned, rubbing the crust out of his eyes.

"Umm..." Jan hummed...

What else could she remember?

The night began with a few glasses of that champagne, which turned into emptying half the bottle before she even went to the bar, then... Well, she wasn't sure when, but Naruto showed up and took her to her room and then...

She blushed when she finally remembered that she was still in her underwear.

 _And that kiss..._

"N-Nothing! Nothing else!" she exclaimed.

"Okay..." Naruto replied, curious about her reaction. "Do you need anything else?"

"I... I think I'm good for now." Jan said.

"Alright. I'm gonna try and get back on campus, get some clothes that aren't... this." Naruto said, holding up the suit jacket he wore last night as if it were diseased...

Let it be known that Naruto Uzumaki was not very fond of formal wear whatsoever.

"See ya sometime later today, maybe?" he suggested, donning his suit jacket and stuffing his orange tie into his pocket.

"Yeah, sure." was Jan's reply before she felt the urge to throw up again.

Naruto awkwardly exited the room while she upchucked, sighing once he was out of the room...

'One hell of a way to start of the day...' he thought.

' _And it isn't even close to being over with._ '

He faltered in his step, initially freaked out by the voice in his head... but then he remembered the voice wasn't him going crazy.

'Emma?'

' _Yes. Shaw wants you to come down to the Provocateur._ '

'... Right now?'

' _Try not to be late._ '

Naruto sighed, leaning against the hallway wall.

He was still exhausted from the night before, having only gotten a few hours of sleep.

Emma didn't exactly specify what time, only to not be late...

And Shaw didn't seem like the type of person he'd want to piss off, at least that was his gut instinct.

So... it was off to a nightclub... while it was still light out.

What the hell had he gotten himself into?

 **-Vortex-**

The moment Naruto left, Jan thought about what she did... their kiss...

God, he was her friend! Sure, the thought of _him_ and _her_ together - like, _together_ together - had crossed her mind maybe once or twice (twelve times in reality), she had never really thought that it would happen anytime soon.

She kissed him, however. And sure, she was drunk, but that just removed any inhibitions she had, both good and bad...

But... wouldn't that mean that deep down... she _liked_ him? As more than a friend?

"Nggh... What else is on tv?" Jan decided to focus on something else, flipping through the channels until she stumbled upon...

" _ **Live on CNN! Breaking news! If... If you're just joining us now, a riot has broken out in Midtown, New York City!**_ "

Suddenly, her hangover wasn't her biggest focus.

A riot taking place right outside her window? How could she _not_ notice it?!

Oh right... hangover...

" _ **New information is coming in as we speak, b-but it appears that from what we know so far, this is the work of mutant activists!**_ "

 **-Vortex-**

Naruto was unaware of the riots that the news was covering. The sounds of police sirens caught his attention, though.

From the looks of things, the area was being barricaded... but for what?

"ATTENTION ALL CITIZENS! EVACUATE THE AREA IMMEDIATELY!" a policeman with a megaphone ordered. "IT IS NOT SAFE IN THE AREA-"

" ***BOOM*!** " the poor chap was cut off by a violent explosion which rocked the side of a nearby building - _too close_ for Naruto's comfort.

Shortly following the explosion were the sounds of mass panic. Everyone at once tried to run in all directions - inside buildings, down the street, into alleyways, anywhere to escape the oncoming danger.

"Run, _Homo sapiens_!" a voice called out, venom in his voice when speaking the Latin name for humans.

It was a hooded man, with short brown hair, radioactive green eyes... and green fire cackling between his fingers.

Following behind him were men and women, some normal-looking and others humanoid in appearance.

"Oh shit..." Naruto cursed.

They were _mutants_! Though he dared not lump himself in the same category as them!

He wasn't a mutant! At least... not like **them**! He was better than them, better than the ones who stooped to crime to get their way.

"Brothers and sisters! We will be oppressed no longer!" the green-fire-bending man exclaimed. "We are the next step in evolution! We are mutants! And we are here to stay!"

Following right behind him was a beautiful woman that stood at 5'11" with long golden blond hair and vibrant purple eyes hidden behind a purple mask. She held what appeared to be a katana in one hand and a crossbow in the other - both of which were made out of some strange purple energy.

Naruto and several other people were a part of the lucky - or unlucky, depending on how one looked at it - group that went down an alleyway... a **dead end** alleyway.

There was a family of three - a mother, father, and a daughter - huddled together in hysterical fear. The girl, no older than sixteen, was being comforted by her mother, while her father looked down the alley in fear at the approaching mutants.

It was the man wielding green fire, the woman with purple energy weapons, and a few others Naruto didn't recognize.

"Well what do we have here, brothers and sisters." the man said, a sadistic grin on his face at the looks of fear on the seven victims faces. He turned to his female companion. "Let judgment pass them by."

"Let judgment pass them by!" was the resounding cry from the other mutants. Suddenly, without warning, Naruto and the six others were grabbed, pushed down on their knees as the woman began to study them one by one.

"Let's find out if you are one of us or one of them!" the woman exclaimed, placing her hands on either side of a businesswoman's face.

From what Naruto could tell, her mutation had something to do with psychic powers - telekinesis and... telepathy.

Which meant if her powers were anything like Emma's...

"She's human." the woman stated, walking away from the businesswoman and onto her next victim. In place of the psionic woman came a man wielding sharpened bones protruding from his wrists.

He grinned, a look of bloodlust on his face as he reared one hand back... and decapitated the businesswoman.

The same thing happened to the next two people, and then she went up to Naruto.

"Hmm... you're cute~" she said, stroking Naruto's cheeks before placing her hands on his face.

...

"Mutant..." she muttered. "He's one of us!"

A roaring cheer came from the mutant anarchists as the psychic woman pulled Naruto up onto his feet.

"W... Wait a sec!" Naruto started.

"Welcome, brother! My former name, my _human_ name was John Allerdyce, but now my name is Pyro!" the man wielding green fire exclaimed.

"I'm Psylocke. Nice to meet you~" the psychic woman said, wrapping her arms around Naruto.

"Patience, Psylocke. We still have a job to do." Pyro stated.

"Tch. A real shame..." Psylocke mumbled, pulling back away from Naruto and making her way over to the first of the family of three, the father.

"No no no please no!" the mother begged, tears flowing freely from her eyes.

"Dad!" the girl exclaimed.

"He's human." Psylocke stated.

"Let's let the new guy handle this one." Pyro suggested, which every other mutant replied in agreement.

"Let their judgment fall upon them!"

 **-Vortex-**

Naruto stood before the kneeling man, shakily standing on his own two feet as he faced a dilemma he wasn't sure he could handle...

They were asking him to kill a man.

Sure, he could be considered a 'supervillain' when he was Vortex, but... he's never _killed_ a person!

Could he even do it? Could he kill an innocent man?

Unconsciously, Naruto drew water from the nearest source - a fire hydrant at the end of the alley - and formed a large sphere of water.

Just looking down at the father below him made Naruto's hands tremble.

He took a deep breath, steadied his shaking body, formed several water tendrils...

And commanded three of the tendrils to wrap around the family, while the other four lashed out at the mutant anarchists. The tendrils wrapped around the family lifted them out of the alleyway, away from the mutants trying to harm them.

"RUN!" Naruto exclaimed, releasing them and focusing on distracting the mutants.

Luckily, the family heard what he said and ran. He wasn't able to see how far they got because of a green fireball that was shot at him.

"You... You TRAITOR!" Pyro yelled in anger, forming another green fireball.

... Maybe he should've thought this through a bit more. Now he has an army of mutants pissed off at him.

"I... uhh..." Naruto muttered, forming another sphere of water and looking away.

" ***FIZZ*!** " The water flashbang was enough to stun the mob, giving Naruto a chance to escape the same route that the family took.

"Oh that whiskered bastard..." Psylocke muttered, though with no ill intent in her voice - in fact, her tone held a hint of amusement.

"GET HIM!"

 **-Vortex-**

"Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck!" Naruto chanted, not even bothering to look behind to see if he was being chased... he just knew.

He dashed into a nearby building, hoping to whatever higher being(s) up there that he wouldn't be found immediately.

" _Heh. Looks like you're in a lot of trouble there, Naruto._ " Emma's voice called out to him, though he was certain it wasn't in his mind.

"Emma? Where are you?" Naruto called out, looking around frantically for a blond woman...

" _Over here._ " Naruto jumped in surprise when Emma's voice came out of... someone who was obviously not her.

"Uhh... Emma?" Naruto questioned, tilting his head in confusion.

" _Vhat? Like vhat you see?_ " It was definitely Emma's voice (with a hint of a German accent), but definitely not Emma's body.

She was definitely female, standing at 5'4" with dark blue hair held in a ponytail, Emma's signature blue eyes, pointy ears, a slender yet curvaceous frame that seemed like a middle-ground between cute and sexy...

Oh, and blue skin. Flawless, smooth blue skin covered only by a white plunge v-neck lace-up leotard... it looked more like a one-piece swimsuit than a leotard.

She also had a prehensile tail that reminded Naruto of a devil's.

"... Who are you?"

" _I'm Emma, but vhat I'm doing now is possessing the body of a teleporter._ " Emma stated, motioning to her own body.

"What the fu - look, I need my Vortex costume! Fast!" Naruto exclaimed.

" _Hm... no._ "

"Beg pardon?" Naruto asked.  
" _I said no. Vhat is there not to understand?_ " Emma questioned, crossing her arms under her bust with a Cheshire grin on her face.

"But I need my outfit!" Naruto yelled.

" _And vhy do you need it exactly?_ " Emma asked.

"I just..." Naruto trailed off.

" _Does that outfit help bury your feelings? Hiding your true self?_ " Emma queried.

"I... I don't know! Yes! No! Maybe?" Naruto exclaimed. "I just know that I can't be seen using my powers like this!" he said, motioning to the dirtied suit he was wearing.

" _Hmm... I see..._ " Emma muttered to herself, vanishing in a puff of black smoke and reappearing a second later with his outfit.

"Oh thank goodness!" Naruto cheered, ripping off his clothes and donning his Vortex costume.

Emma just hummed an unknown tune, watching silently as Naruto hastily took his clothes off, uncaring if she watched.

"There we go!" he said, adjusting his jacket slightly and shifting his goggles on his face.

" _That was quite the show you put on, you know._ " Emma commented, the cheeks of the body she was possessing taking on a slightly darker blue hue than the rest of her body.

"Now we can fight back!" Naruto yelled, striking what he felt was a heroic pose.

" _Yeah... about that..._ " Emma trailed off. Suddenly, her eyes widened, pupils dilating, and the two orbs began to change from blue to yellow.

"Uhh... _vuh_... huh?" the blue-skinned girl mumbled, dazed by the whole experience.

"Well... shit."

 **-Vortex-**

"I can't believe you just did that." Shaw stated, smirking as Emma's glowing eyes dimmed to their normal luminescence.

"Naruto is a capable fighter, he can handle himself." Emma retorted.

"Still... He may just be out of his league in this situation." Shaw said, pulling out his phone and dialing up a certain person...

" _ **Ugh... Son of a - Hello? Shaw?**_ "

"Yep."

" _ **What is it, man? Don't you know I'm nursing a killer hangover.**_ "

"Turn on the news. Or better yet, try looking out the window."

" _ **... Goddammit, I think I know where this is going.**_ "

"Our newest member will be needing some assistance in combat."

" _ **Ugh. Fine! Give me ten minutes.**_ "

"Just get it done." Shaw stated, ending the call and rubbing his temples.

He felt a migraine coming on, which meant only one thing...

"I leave for seven days, yet I've missed _so_ much."

"Hello... Selene."

 **-Vortex-**

"Snap out of it! Snap out of it!" Naruto chanted, shaking the blue woman back and forth.

" _Vell_ shaking me isn't helping!" she yelled, disoriented but cognizant enough to understand she was being shaken in a rather violent manner.

"Oh... right." he muttered, releasing his grip on the blue-skinned girl.

"Come out, traitor! We know you're out there!" Pyro yelled, casting fireballs at nearby buildings in the hopes of scorching the mutant who sided with the _homo sapiens_.

"Vhat vas that?!" the blue girl asked, 'eeping' in surprise as a fireball narrowly missed her tail.

"What's your name, blue girl?" Naruto asked, peeking out to see if the psychotic pyromaniac was still out there.

"I am not 'blue girl', I am Karen Wagner, though my stage name is _Nightcrawler_!" she exclaimed proudly, puffing out her chest a little in pride.

"I'm Vortex. Now if you can _just_ keep your voice down, maybe we can-" "FOUND YOU!"

That as all the warning the two were given before Naruto tackled Karen off to the side, dodging a fireball which would have incinerated them had they stayed a second longer.

"Hold still so I can BURN YOU!" Pyro yelled, firing another fireball right at Naruto and Karen.

Instinctively, the blue skinned girl teleported, reappearing a few feet away from where the blast would have hit.

"Vhat in the Lord's name is going on?!" Karen asked/yelled, pushing the blond villain off of her before another fireball could be shot off at them.

"You're in Midtown and a mutant riot is going on!" Naruto quickly explained, summoning forth a wall of water to block a fireball.

"But that doesn't explain vhy this hothead is firing at _me_!" Karen responded, teleporting to Naruto to avoid a fireball sent her way.

"They see me as a traitor to their kind, so this guy must've thought you were with me or something!" Naruto replied, sending tendrils shooting out through his water wall at Pyro, who dodged the first two but was struck by the third.

"But I'm not vith you!"

"They don't know that nor do they care at the moment!"

"Die already, traitor!" another mutant rioter exclaimed, hurling a chunk of street at the duo.

Karen placed her hand on Naruto's shoulder before she teleported them out of harm's way...

And right into the middle of the street.

Now they were surrounded by at least a dozen mutants... all angry at _them_.

...

"Well, well... out of the bird's nest and into the wolves' den." Pyro taunted, holding two balls of fire in his hands.

Psylocke was among the group of mutants surrounding them, energy weapons already in her hands while the other mutants had their abilities set and ready to go.

"This does not look vell..." Karen muttered, back to back with Naruto.

"Don't worry. I'm, uhh... _fairly_ certain we can take them." Naruto stated, drawing out two spheres of water from the moisture in the air. "We just have to stick together-"

A strange sound reached Naruto's ears, followed by the smell of slightly sulfuric smoke...

He glanced behind him, only to find Karen was missing.

"I'm sorry Vortex! But I have a caravan that I must catch up to!" Karen yelled from off in the distance.

"Well yeah, but couldn't you have grabbed me from this too?!" Naruto yelled back.

"I mean... the idea vas not in my head until now..."

"Can't you grab me _now_ then?!"

"Sorry, I cannot hear vhat you are saying! Too far avay!"

"Oh for crying out loud!"

"Psylocke, Blink, you two take care of that blue traitor. We'll handle this traitor." Pyro ordered, receiving a nod from both mutants before the one Naruto assumed was Blink opened up a gateway for both Psylocke and herself to travel through.

Though not before Psylocke sent Naruto one last wink and blew a kiss in his direction.

"Now then... where were we?" Pyro questioned, stretching his neck and flicking the two fireballs in his hands at Naruto.

Naruto reacted by willing one of the water spheres he had into striking out at the fireballs before they could reach him, creating a small bit of steam from the collisions.

He was given less than a second before a bone spike was shot at him, grazing his shoulder in the process. The motions of his hands moved his remaining water sphere to stretch out and expand into a wall before being frozen into compact ice, the bone spikes being thrown at him halted by the condensed and frozen water.

Just as he was defending that front, Naruto barely moved out of the way in time so a slab of concrete didn't clobber him.

He was fighting a losing battle, plain and simple. So his fight or flight instincts took control as he summoned eight mists flashbangs around his body before huddling down, plugging his ears and closing his eyes.

"SHIT-!" Pyro exclaimed, covering his eyes just before the mist flashbangs went off, stunning everyone else but him.

Granted, there was still a ringing in his ears, but at least he could still see. That was more than the others could say.

And through his slightly disoriented vision, Pyro was able to catch Naruto running away while the rest were recovering.

It made him growl, a fiery anger in his eyes as he sprinted off after the masked blond, leaving his brothers and sisters behind while he pursued the traitor to their kind.

He. Would. BURN!

 **-Vortex-**

Karen was _not_ having a good day.

One moment, she was doing stretches, preparing to practice for an upcoming circus performance, then the next thing she knew, she was in New York City _miles_ away from her caravan, being pursued by two women - one with purple swords and the other with the ability to create portals.

Currently, she was - how did the saying go? - making her way downtown, alternating between teleporting and running when the duo chasing her got too close to her.

She quickly looked over her shoulder to see if they were still chasing her, only to have a portal open up right in her path!

Karen traveled through before she could realize the error of her actions and was tripped by Psylocke.

"Oof!" she cried out, smacking face first into the concrete that made up the ground.

"Shoulda used a new trick to escape. It was like watching a broken record playing over and over and over again." Blink commented.

"V-Vhat do you vant vith me?" Karen asked, unable to move her own body.

"Don't try to struggle, darling. My telepathy has you paralyzed." Psylocke stated. "You're at my mercy-"

" **FREEZE!** "

The sound of guns being loaded and safeties being switched off echoed throughout the area. Midtown may be inaccessible due to the mutant riot, but through the coordination of S.H.I.E.L.D. - as well as every armed service available working for the US government - Uptown and Downtown stood their grounds.

And in their haste pursuing Karen, Psylocke and Blink had walked right into the iron sights of the police barricade.

Since their guns were already trained on the three of them, they were secure in their assumption that deadly force was on the table.

"Shit..." Blink cursed.

"Any chance we'll be able to escape through one of your portals?" Psylocke asked.

"Not enough time." was Blink's reply, causing Psylocke to curse under her breath too.

"Perhaps I could be of assistance?" Karen called out from beneath them, still paralyzed from Psylocke's telepathy.

" **Do not move! Remain where you are and place your hands above your head!** " the police officer with the megaphone commanded.

"Why would _you_ help _us_?"  
"Vell there are a lot of guns aimed at us, and I do not plan to die today."

"And if I release you, what's to stop you from abandoning us like you did Mister Tall-Blonde-And-Handsome?"

"I honestly did not think that I could have taken him vith me! It vas a mistake on my part!"

" **You have ten seconds to comply or we will shoot! Ten!** "

"Time is running out, please choose visely!"

" **Nine!** "

"I'll take my chances with her over the alternative. What do you say, Psylocke?"

" **Eight!** "

"I'm not sure if I trust her..."

" **Seven!** "

"Did you trust that hothead Pyro?"

" **Six!** "

"Ah, good point."

" **Five!** "

"Ve are running out of time!"

" **Four!** "

"Alright, fine. Just get us out of here." Psylocke conceded, releasing her mental grip on Karen.

" **Three! I said put your hands above your head!** " the police officer shouted when Psylocke and Blink reached down to help Karen up onto her feet.

"Hold onto me, this only vorks through physical contact." Karen whispered, gripping Psylocke and Blink's hands in her own.

" **Two!** "

"Any day now!" Psylocke exclaimed.

" **One!** "

Just as the police officer reached 'One', Karen - as well as Psylocke and Blink - vanished in a puff of black smoke, away from the police barricade and away from the mutant riot.

The man simply cursed all sorts of obscenities, throwing his megaphone to the ground in rage while the others kept a watchful eye for any others who dared come close to the barricade.

But for now, the trio of mutants had escaped.

 **-Vortex-**

Naruto didn't bother to look back, he _knew_ Pyro was still chasing him.

It could have been because of the cursing and profanity thrown his way, but it was mostly because of the fireballs that passed by him every minute or so, each the size of a mailbox and with enough heat to have Naruto sweating when it only passed by him by a mere foot.

"Quit running and burn already!" Pyro yelled, tossing fireball after fireball at the blond recklessly.

"I'd rather not!" Naruto retorted, dodging the incoming fireballs by merely inches...

The right shoulder of his overcoat was on fire.

"Oh fuck!" he cursed, patting the flames out with his left hand before they could spread.

Had he been looking where he was going, he would have noticed he was running into an alleyway - a dead end - before it was too late.

"Heh... Nowhere to run now, traitor!" Pyro exclaimed, summoning a large fireball which kept getting bigger and bigger. "I'm gonna burn you until all that's left are ashes!"

Naruto was already panicking at this point, and the next thing he knew his body was moving on its own.

It wasn't like he was being controlled by someone like Emma. No, this was instinct, _survival_!

Pyro was surprised when Naruto suddenly charged and tackled him to the ground, causing him to lose concentration and make the fireball disperse.

A few minutes later, the rest of the mutants were able to follow the trail of destruction and find Pyro and Naruto.

What they found, however, shocked them into silence.

"Ngh! Ugh! Fhh!" Naruto grunted, standing over Pyro as he wailed on him, punch after punch after punch going into Pyro's face.

The poor pyromaniac's face was bloodied, his nose broken... this would definitely leave a scar.

"Hey! Hey! HEY!" one of the mutants exclaimed, two men pulling Naruto off Pyro before he could literally beat the man to death.

"Enough bro! Fuck!" another mutant cried out.

"Hah... hah..." Naruto panted, the adrenaline wearing off as he came back to his senses.

"Dude! He totally fucked up Pyro!"

"What should we do?"

"What the fuck do you think we should do?! He's still a traitor!"

Naruto, now fully aware of the situation he was in, began to struggle, attempting to shake out of the grip of the two mutants holding him.

Just as the bone-spike mutant was about to deal the killing blow, a blue laser beam shot him in the back.

" **Ugh... Let's just get this over with quickly.** "

"Oh shit... OH SHIT!"

It was a figure hovering in the air, a tall figure standing at 6'6" with red and gold armor...

Everyone knew who this person was... it was Iron Man.

" **Alright, hands off blondie and no one has to get hurt.** " Iron Man said, aiming his palms at the group below him.

"Tch, as if we'll hand him over to-" the mutant who voiced the group's objection was suddenly blasted by a repulsor ray, courtesy of Iron Man.

" **Anyone else?** " Iron Man questioned, the remaining mutants holding their hands up in surrender, dropping Naruto unceremoniously to the ground.

"He's all yours bro..." one of the mutants stated.

"Wait, what?!" Naruto exclaimed.

" **Great. Now I'll just grab blondie and be on my way then.** " Iron Man stated, flying down low and grabbing Naruto by his trench coat.

"Hey! HEY! Whoa!" Naruto cried out, flailing in the iron grip of Iron Man.

"..." the group of mutants could only watch as Iron Man flew away with the traitor in his hands, thankful that they were still alive... for now.

 **-Vortex-**

"What the fuck man?! Let go of me!" Naruto exclaimed, thrashing around in the air, trying to escape Iron Man's grip.

" **Quit squirming, blondie. Unless you wanna fall to your death.** " Iron Man said, causing Naruto to cease his struggles.

"So, uhh... where are you taking me?" Naruto finally asked after several minutes of silence.

" **Look, I just owe a favor to a guy, and that favor was to get you out of trouble.** " Iron Man replied. " **Now I just have to drop you off and...** "

...

"... And?"  
" **Huh? Oh, hold on a sec. Blondie, I'm in the middle of a call.** " Iron Man stated. " **Yeah, yeah I'm still here... Uh huh... Yeah... Alright, fine.** "

"Uhh..."

" **There's been a change of plans, blondie.** "

"What was the original plan?"

" **Well I was just gonna drop you off on the edge of Manhattan, but Shaw wants you dropped off at the Provocateur instead.** " Iron Man explained.

"Ehh? Shaw put you up to this?!" Naruto exclaimed.

" **I owed him a favor after an incident at the club.** " Iron Man said.

"Wait a second... are you-?"  
" **Look, you don't try to figure out who I am behind the mask, and I'll give the same courtesy.** "

"But... I... ahh, fine... So-"

" **Just shut up, blondie. I'm still nursing a killer hangover.** "

...

Naruto and Iron Man quickly arrived at the entrance to the Provocateur, Shaw, Emma and Tessa patiently waiting for him to land.

"About time you showed up." Emma stated, a sly smirk on her face.

" **This makes us even, Shaw.** " Iron Man stated, dropping Naruto on the ground when they were close enough for the blond to _not_ break his legs.

"Of course, Tony." Shaw said.

" **Iron Man!** " the metal man corrected. " **Now if you excuse me, there's a city that needs my help.** "

And with that, Iron Man flew off, leaving Naruto at the mercy of the Hellfire Club trio...

"Come, Naruto..." Shaw stated, motioning for the blond to follow him. "-we need to talk."

 **-Vortex-**

Naruto was being flanked by Emma on his left and Tessa on his right. Shaw was leading the group, a solemn look on his and the two women's faces.

"Where are we going?" Naruto questioned.

"To meet the Black Queen." Tessa replied.

"The Black Queen?" Naruto said curiously.

"She's the deciding factor on whether you're going to truly be a member of the Hellfire Club or not." Emma stated.

"I thought I was already in the Hellfire Club." Naruto commented.

"You are, but all members have to go through her first." Shaw said. "If she approves you, you live."

"And if she doesn't?"

"You die." Naruto froze up at that.

What was it with people trying to kill him today?!

"Come on, keep moving." Emma said, pushing the blond man along despite his rigid state.

"Eh... i-is there any way around this?" Naruto asked hesitantly.

"No. Besides... it's too late to turn back." Shaw stated, opening a door while Emma and Tessa pushed Naruto inside.

"Wait! Wait!" Naruto exclaimed as they slammed the door shut.

...

"... Shit..." Naruto muttered under his breath, his back to the door and his eyes darting around the room.

"No need to use profanities, dear." a silky, yet eerie voice called out.

"W... Who's there?" he called out.

"Come closer, dear." that same voice from before called out to him, drawing him in like a siren's song.

It was as if that voice beckoned him to obey its commands... voluntarily.

Yet something felt... _wrong_. He felt it in his blood.

"No... something's wrong..." Naruto muttered.

"Nothing is wrong, dear. Come closer..." the voice was so enticing, it's sway over him wearing down his willpower.

"I... N-No..." Naruto mumbled, his feet moving despite his mental protests.

"Yes, come closer..." the voice called out to him.

He couldn't resist any further, yet he did not wish to give in...

"I must admit, your will is much stronger than others, but all succumb eventually." the voice stated. "Just give in, dear, and you'll never have to worry about anything. Ever. Again."

"N... No..." Naruto murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. He was halfway across the room now, on the edge of the shadows which the voice was calling out of, about to reach into the void and embrace the darkness...

"Time's up, Selene." Shaw called out from behind the door, immediately breaking Naruto out of his trance.

"Hmm... a pity." The shadows seemed to move, molding into the form of a goddess in human form.

She stood at 5'10" with long, silky black hair, dark brown eyes which held years - no, _centuries_ \- of experience. She was wearing a black minidress, black opera length gloves, and black high heels.

"Congratulations... you passed." the woman said, her eyes roaming over the blond as if inspecting every little detail about him.

"Uhh... Are you the Black Queen?" Naruto asked, flinching when a small frown appeared on the woman's face for a brief moment.

"Yes... I am the Black Queen. Though you may call me Selene." she replied, beckoning Naruto closer with a lone finger.

When Naruto was close enough, she held her hand out, the blond responding by reaching down and kissing the hand.

He wasn't quite sure why he did that, it was as if a small voice in the back of his mind was commanding him to do so...

"I grant thee the title... Grey Knight." Selene stated, gently cupping Naruto's cheeks in her hands.

She seemed like she was about to do something more, but she pulled away instead when the door opened up and Shaw, Emma and Tessa stepped in.

"Welcome to our ranks, Naruto." Shaw said, nodding his head as if approving the blond.

"That's... great and all, but... why me?" Naruto questioned.

...

"He doesn't know?" Selene asked Shaw, who shook his head.

"I tried to explain it to him last night, but he was a bit impatient." Shaw replied.

"What do you mean? What does he mean?" Naruto asked, looking first to Shaw then to Emma and Tessa.

"Well, I guess now is the best time to tell him then, right?" Selene suggested.

"I suppose so." Shaw responded.

"What the hell are you guys talking about?!" Naruto yelled.

"There was a reason why we specifically recruited _you_." Emma stated.

"Tell me, Naruto..." Shaw began.

"Tell me...?"

"What do you know about a man named Bolivar Trask?"

Chapter End

* * *

 **POST AN: AAAAAANNNNNDD DONE! One college final down, three to go! Yay... *sarcasm*.**

 **Anyways, I'll see you guys next time! Read and Review! Ja mata!**

 **-CrimsonKyuubiSage out!**


	5. Chapter 5 - The Call

**AN: Heeeellllllllllloooooooooo People! CrimsonKyuubiSage here!** **A thought occurred to me one day while I was thinking about what to write for the next arc of this story. Sure, I could go the route everyone is expecting me to, but why take the short road when I can take the scenic route?**

 **This next arc was inspired by a man by the name... Howard Phillips Lovecraft.**

 **And Now Onto Reviewing Your Reviews!**

 **Luraso - He's new to this whole mutant world. The more he's involved in this new world, the more experience he will get. Every superhero and super villain started out where he was - a big fish in a little pond becoming a little fish in a big pond.**

 **DragonPony022 - What certain people (Shaw, Selene, Black Widow, Emma) see in Naruto is an investment opportunity, a potentially powerful ally with barely any strings attached yet. It's of note that these people have years of experience in manipulating to get their way, some even decades or centuries... Also, since I found Barnes & Noble I can visit on the weekend near me, I have looked at the price for graphic novels... 'E for Extinction' of my wallet, soooo... if you could just find me an online pdf or something and just message me it... that would be helpful. Very.**

 **omar. cornelius. 9 - Good guess, but that's not how Kurama will come into play.**

 **Fighting Joe - The Peter Dinklage version of Bolivar Trask is the only version I know of. He's great!**

 **shadowace2400 - He can't have fire powers if his mutation is water. The reason why his mutation is water, however - and why I chose the name Vortex - is because of 'Uzumaki', which translates to 'Maelstrom' or 'Whirlpool'. The latter is where the idea came from, hence the ability to manipulate water, and a 'Vortex' which is synonymous with 'Whirlpool' and 'Maelstrom'. So that explanation will be my go to for when other people bitch about why Naruto doesn't have his op canon powers.**

 **Neo-Drive - Yeah it's still a single pairing, but Tony Stark didn't just have a relationship with Pepper Potts, but had a string of multiple love interests that ended because of varying reasons. Just because I decide to show Naruto's attraction to multiple women and vice versa everyone thinks that he's gonna go for an all-or-nothing sort of thing.**

 **PenPanther - No. I've already made a Kamui-using Naruto story.**

 **And Now, On With The Story! Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter Start

 **-Vortex-**

There are some things in this world - no, this _universe_ \- that were not meant for the eyes of mortals. Things which were beyond their comprehension...

One such thing was what _they_ stumbled upon.

It had all started out as a simple job: chartering a boat with a skeleton crew to map a previously uncharted region in the South Pacific, nothing more than multibeam sonar at first...

What they didn't expect was to find, as they approached the Pacific pole of inaccessibility, was an island-city.

The crew members were by no means architects, nor archaeologists, but along the coastline they recognized the Cyclopean masonry to be a clear sign this island was or had been inhabited long ago.

Against their better judgment, the crew went ashore to explore the island, their minds perverted with the idea of becoming rich and famous for discovering the island...

They didn't know what they had done, not yet at least.

Either by their own accord, or by other means, they were slowly separated one by one until the captain had no idea where the rest of the crew had gone.

Not that he really cared at the time. All that mattered to her at the moment, was the chilling, cryptic voice which called out to her through the damp corridors, echoing aimlessly on and on and without rest in an ancient tongue foreign to her ears...

She thought she heard her crew members crying out, screaming somewhere else in this labyrinth, but their cries felt like small voices in the back of her mind as she followed the ancient voice, drawn in like the Sirens did to wayward sailors.

After what seemed like an eternity, the captain happened upon a large chamber with a dome ceiling.

The voices were now numerous, as if being spoken as one by a range of people...

It was then she realized she was not alone in this chamber. No, standing around a large stone altar were nine cloaked individuals, each one chanting the same words she was hearing in her head.

" _ **Why**_ _(why)_ _ **have you**_ _(have you)_ _ **come here**_ _(come here)_ _ **, mortal**_ _(mortal)_ _ **?**_ " a deep voice bellowed, its raspy whispers making it seem as if the voice was coming from all angles.

"I-... I came to e-explore..." she replied, her body paralyzed in a fear like no other she had felt before.

" _ **You came**_ _(you came)_ _ **seeking out**_ _(seeking out)_ _ **the unknown**_ _(the unknown)_ _ **.**_ " the deep voice stated rather than questioned. The captain gulped and took a few deep breaths, mustering the little courage she had left before responding once more.

"Yes. My crew and I came to this island to seek out the unknown!" she exclaimed, freezing as a wave of terror washed over the room.

" _ **Mankind's**_ _(mankind's)_ _ **search for the unknown**_ _(search for the unknown)_ _ **shall be**_ _(shall be)_ _ **their undoing**_ _(their undoing)_ _ **.**_ "

Suddenly, two pairs of arms wrapped around her own, hoisting her off the ground and towards the stone altar.

She began kicking and screaming, crying out for help which would never find her...

Then she was held above the altar, her body parallel to the stone surface so she was staring down at her own reflection in the smooth, polished stone which held carvings of ancient runic symbols.

" _ **Gaze upon**_ _(gaze upon)_ _ **that which**_ _(that which)_ _ **you have sought out**_ _(you have sought out)_ _ **.**_ "

The runes lit up, and suddenly she was no longer staring at her own reflection, what she was now staring at instead...

Was an incomprehensible horror.

The feeling was beyond surreal. It made her feel like an ant standing before a giant - NO! Like an ant standing before a **god**.

Her mind tried to comprehend the unending, abysmal power she felt, but nothing came close.

Then, as fast as the feeling came before, it vanished, and she was staring back at her own reflection.

The cloaked figures released her, dropping her with an audible thud onto the stone altar.

" _My god_..." she whispered, then, it came.

It started out as a small chuckle, but quickly turned into maniacal laughter.

She had seen it! The immeasurable power of the entity! Oh, how the thought of it made her shiver in both terror and excitement!

She had seen just how small and insignificant she was in the grand scheme of the universe! It was enough to drive any normal person _insane_!

And insane she had become...

No longer was she Captain Anne Thompson...

"Rise..." one of the cloaked figures called out. "- _Paranoia_."

 **-Vortex-**

"Vell this sucks." Karen muttered, glancing back and forth between Blink and Psylocke like they were going to jump on her any second.

"What's so suck-y about this?" Psylocke questioned, taking off her shirt and laying out a dyeing kit.

"I vas perfectly fine until I vas dragged into this... this-!" Karen exclaimed.

"This clusterfuck?" Blink suggested, playing with an apple by having it fall through an infinite loop using her mutation.

"Yes! This _clusterfuck_!" Karen finished, spouting curses in German that neither Psylocke nor Blink could understand.

"Like it or not, we're stuck in this together." Psylocke stated, putting a towel around her shoulders and holding up a bottle of purple hair dye. "You guys sure you don't want me to dye your hair?"

"It's not going to do us any good. For fuck's sake, her skin's blue and mine's pink!" Blink retorted, snatching the apple from it's endless cycle of falling.

"Any bright ideas now?" Karen asked, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"Well that blond we met - what did he call himself, Vortex?" Psylocke questioned, continuing after Karen nodded her head in confirmation. "Vortex has shown his face a few times in the city, but always it seems he's gotten away Scott free."

"Your point?" Blink questioned.

"My point is... maybe if we can find him, he can... help us out or something?" Psylocke said hesitantly, unsure of her own plan.

"That plan fucking sucks." Blink stated, sending the blond woman a deadpan stare.

"Eh, it's better than nothing." she argued. "Besides, I got a read on his psionic emanation back during the riot, so I can use that to try and pick out Vortex from a crowd if I get near him."

"Uhh... vhat?"

"Telepathic tracking. I use telepathy... to track him."

"Vhy didn't you just say that in the first place?"

"Because the way I explain it makes it sound cooler!"

"Makes you sound like a fucking nerd."

"Shut up, Clarice!"

"Make me, _Betsy_!"

"... _Tch_. You win this round." Psylocke conceded, focusing on dyeing her hair over aimlessly arguing with Blink.

...

"Hey..." Karen called out after a few minutes of silence. "How do ve know if Vortex is still even in the city?"

 **-Vortex-**

" _What do you mean you can't leave the city?!_ " Naruto winced in pain as his eardrum's were assaulted by his mother's exclamation.

His parents and siblings lived on the other side of the country, just outside of San Francisco, so these FaceTime calls were one of the few ways in which they could contact him.

" _Kushina, honey - what your mother and I are asking is why you can't leave the city?_ " his father - Minato Uzumaki (when they got married, he took her last name) - asked in a more calm voice.

"It's a really complicated story, but now I have a job." Naruto explained, scratching the back of his head nervously. He never liked lying to his parents, but there were just some things which you had to tell little white lies for...

"It's a pretty simple job, really." _With everything he knows now, it was anything but simple._

"They actually set me up with an apartment in the city, they're even taking care of the rent." _Emma actually bought the 45th floor of the Atelier... that's where he would be staying for the time being._

"Pays a lot of money too!" _That one wasn't a lie. To the Hellfire Club, worrying about six figures was like pissing in the wind._

" _You still haven't told us what this 'job' is, son._ " Minato stated.

"I'm the personal secretary to Sebastian Shaw of Shaw Industries."

...

" _... No seriously, what's your job?_ " Kushina asked.

"I'm his personal secretary. I'm not lying." Naruto replied.

" _But-! That's-! How much are you getting paid?!_ " Kushina questioned.

"On top of rent? About... I'd say... a hundred-thousand or so."

" _Annually?!_ "

"Monthly."

Naruto could hear his mother flipping out on the other end of the call, while his father just smiled and gave him a thumbs up.

" _Congratulations... son._ " Minato forced out, though Naruto could understand why.

At the age of twenty, he was already making as much as his mother or father did, maybe a little bit more.

It was like their son had the devil's luck!

"I've gotta go now, tell Menma and Natsumi I say hi!"

" _We love you! Good luck with your new job!_ "

"Byeee!" Naruto said, ending the call as he was speaking.

...

The blond sighed, releasing a held breath as his hands slumped to his side tiredly.

He was actually feeling pretty tired, despite not doing anything which would have physically exhausted him.

So much could change in two months. One moment, he was in the middle of a mutant riot, the next thing he knew, it was the end of the semester and he was moving into a penthouse...

Maybe he really _did_ have the devil's luck...

"Penny for your thoughts?"

... To Naruto's credit, the scream that came out of him was _not_ girlish. It was a manly scream, and that's how he would tell it. Still, he was nonetheless surprised when Emma had called out to him, only a few feet behind him when she spoke.

"E-Emma! What are you doing here?" Naruto exclaimed, picking himself up off the ground while the blond woman leaned against the wall.

"I own this floor, so technically, I'm your landlord." Emma stated, holding up a keychain with numerous keys - one of which he was certain was the key to his suite - and jingling them in front of her fellow blond.

"That... still doesn't explain why you're here." Naruto stated.

 _ **(Lemon Start)**_

"Whoops!" she chirped, 'accidentally' dropping the keys to the ground. "Let me get that."

Emma then proceeded to turn around and bend down to reach for the keys... it was at this point that her attire became very apparent to Naruto, or rather the lack thereof such.

She was wearing a light blue thong which hid literally nothing, and a baggy white t-shirt... _and_ **nothing else**.

To top it off, he was fairly certain she was doing this on purpose! Getting a rouse out of him while she was bent over... her ass slightly swaying...

Naruto covered the front of his pants with his hands to hide the tent he was pitching.

"I-I should, uhh... cold shower." was all Naruto could muster before running off, his face red and his pants straining against his erection.

Emma merely watched him run with amusement and a hint of lust in her eyes.

She had a plan, and she would get what she wanted.

 **-Vortex-**

Whoever thought cold showers was a good idea to stop an erection was a bastard. Sure, it worked and now Naruto's blood was beginning to pump somewhere other than his crotch, but now he was freezing to the bone.

"F-F-F-Fuck..." he muttered, turning the knob away from cold to warmer temperatures.

Emma could hear the water running from outside the bathroom, prompting her to giggle and lick her lips as she took off the two articles of clothing she was wearing.

Now he was right where she wanted him.

" ***SLAM*!** " Naruto nearly jumped out of his skin when Emma slammed the bathroom door open, as naked as the day she was born.

"Mind if I join you~?" Emma asked in a sultry voice, sauntering into the shower while Naruto was still in it.

"I-! Well-! Uhh..." Naruto stuttered, only to be silenced when Emma placed her finger against his lips.

"Shhh... just enjoy it~" Emma said, claiming his lips with her own.

Thoroughly experienced, she quickly worked her tongue into his mouth, nearly dominating him in their tongue battle. Emma pulled back moments before she could claim her victory, almost as if her tongue was guiding Naruto's into her own mouth.

Inexperienced but experimental, Naruto's hands pinched, caressed and groped her body, a small moan arising from Emma when he squeezed her ass with his right hand.

At this point in her life, this was like a dance to Emma, a dance she had done many times before.

Emma had done this many times before, fucking a man (sometimes even women) once then leaving them high and dry and begging for more. That was how she would manipulate him.

Of course, this didn't necessarily mean she no longer felt pleasure from having sex, far from it. Naruto was young, inexperienced, which made him all the more curious about which buttons to press to turn her on... and boy was he pressing them!

As they broke from their kiss to gasp in gallons of air, Emma could not help the grin forming on her face when she felt something _hard_ and _long_ press up against her inner lips, like they were trying to insert into her folds automatically.

"Hello big boy~..." she muttered, reaching down with one hand to stroke him off, causing him to moan.

Emma crouched down until she was on her knees and level with his cock, all the while slowly giving him a handjob.

Water from the showerhead crashed down upon her, but she could still clearly see his throbbing member and it made her shiver with excitement and lust.

He was a little bigger than Shaw, but far from the biggest she's seen.

She lightly kissed the tip, a kiss which only lasted a brief second. Pre-cum was already leaking out, so she planted another, longer kiss on the tip, using her tongue to lap at the pre-cum and savor its taste. Emma then lolled out her tongue, reaching down and licking from the base of the shaft to the head.

Years of experience came into play as she bobbed her head down, engulfing his entire cock in one go and staying down at the base for ten seconds, all the while her tongue lathering the dick in her mouth.

It took all of Naruto's willpower to not cum right then, his body shivering slightly as he held in the urge to cum while she was starting her blowjob.

Emma was quite impressed that he didn't cum immediately like any other virgin would, as she pulled her head back until all that was left in her mouth was the tip of his penis.

She swirled her tongue around his head expertly, starting off slow but getting into a rhythmic pace of bobbing her head up and down on his dick.

Up and down. Up and down. Up and down...

Naruto grunted, which was all the warning Emma received before he grabbed the back of her head and slammed her down to the base of his shaft.

"Fuck!" he groaned, shooting thick ropes of cum down Emma's throat and pulling back while he was still cumming. He unsheathed his dick from her mouth with an audible 'pop!', a few strands of cum shooting out and covering her face.

"Mm... not bad." Emma commented, savoring the cum in her mouth before swallowing, then using her fingers to grab the strands of cum on her face.

"Sorry..." Naruto apologized, his face red and his dick flaccid.

"Don't be. You lasted pretty long for someone inexperienced." Emma said, kissing his cock one last time before gripping it in her hands and jacking him off. "We're not done yet, though."

Naruto knew exactly what she was talking about, and the thought of which - combined with the handjob - made him erect in a matter of seconds.

Once he was hard and ready, Emma bent down, parted her legs, then used her hands to open her pussy for him.

"Wait - what about protection?" he asked, momentarily remembering the consequences of unprotected sex.

"Don't worry about it." Emma stated, using her psionic powers to put Naruto more at ease.

Seeing as it was okay, Naruto rubbed and prodded with the tip of his penis at her folds until he was inside her.

" _Mmmhhh~_!" she moaned, the sensation of his cock inside her pussy enough to send Emma into a minor euphoria.

It's been a while since she's scratched that itch, and damn did it feel good!

Naruto's pace started off slow, but quickly picked up speed until he was thrusting his hips in rhythm with Emma.

His pace kept getting faster and faster, until finally Emma's knees buckled and she lost her footing.

Instinctively, water tendrils appeared in the shower and wrapped around Emma, supporting her hands - which were firmly planted on the ground - by raising her legs up to counterbalance, inadvertently stretching her legs to spread eagle.

A passing thought came through Emma's mind that the last time she truly had good sex was about a decade or so ago, so she was a little bit rusty with her technique at this phase it seemed...

All that she could really think of at the moment, however, was how to react when Naruto planted his hands on either side of her hips, thrusting harder and faster than before and pressing her face into the shower wall.

She raised her hands from the ground to push against the wall and prevent her face from getting squished, but that only seemed to motivate Naruto to fuck her harder.

"Ahhh~!" she moaned in delight, obviously turned on by the small roughness that Naruto was dealing on her.

Seeing this, Naruto experimentally removed his right hand from her hip, raised it up high...

" ***SMACK*!** " -and slapped her ass. Her toes curled in ecstasy at the pleasurable pain, prompting Naruto to alternate hands between smacking and violently groping her ass cheeks.

"Fuck! _Fuuuuuck_!" Emma moaned, her face smashing against the wall because her hands were too busy twerking, pinching and fondling her breasts.

Feeling confident, Naruto hooked his right index and middle fingers in her mouth, his left hand groping and slapping her ass.

"I'm gonna fucking cum! Where do you want it, bitch?" Naruto asked, allowing himself to relieve some of his frustration against Emma by having his way with her.

"In mah pussy! In mah pussy!" Emma exclaimed, Naruto's fingers still in her mouth.

"Alright then!" he grunted, thrusting hard and deep into Emma before pushing himself in as deep as he would go, shooting a load of cum into her with no remorse.

Emma meanwhile had gone catatonic with an orgasm, slowly sliding to the ground as Naruto pulled out of her.

"Hah... ahh~" she gasped in pleasure. Damn has it been a long time since she's had a good fuck!

Naruto, however, wasn't nearly as satisfied as Emma was. Sure, there was the physical pleasure, but he still held a bit of resentment towards this blond honeypotting bitch.

Willing the water tendrils still wrapped around her legs to turn her body so that she was facing him, Naruto nearly did a double take at the state of euphoria her face conveyed.

Her face was red, her tongue lolled out, eyes filled with a satisfaction he had only recently in life come to understand. She did not by any means carry the demeanor, the attitude of the woman he first met - calm, in control, knowledgeable...

But Naruto didn't care at the moment. There was still a bit of tension between them he had to release.

The first thing Emma noticed as she was coming down from her orgasmic high was the flaccid, cum and pussy juice covered dick in her face. The next thing she noticed...

" ***SMACK*!** " -was that Naruto was slapping her in the face with said dick. It quickly began to harden, and to avoid having it smack her and possibly give her a black eye, she enveloped the member with her mouth, her tongue running across every part of his shaft and licking it clean of his cum and her juices. Then for added measure, she lowered her head slightly began to suck on his balls, alternating between the left and right sac while Naruto grinned triumphantly above her.

But in the end, it would be she who would have the last laugh! She would act subdued for now, but soon enough, he would be licking at her boots! He-

... just summoned two more water tendrils, the watery constructs wrapping around her wrists in a manner which reminded her of Shaw's BDSM rack.

"How flexible are you?" Naruto asked.  
"Fairly flexible?" she replied hesitantly, gulping when she saw the almost predatory grin on his face.

"Good."

The tendrils slammed her back against the wall, raising her legs up high until they were nearly over her shoulders, then using her arms to hold the legs in place while Naruto positioned himself once more.

"H-Hey now..." Emma called out hesitantly. "Take it easy the _EEEEEERE_!"

Naruto thrust himself inside her, his dick reaching her G-spot and nearly making her climax instantly.

"FUCK!" she cried out as Naruto pistoned his hips in and out of her, mercilessly pounder her G-spot.

Meanwhile, Naruto's hands cycled between smacking, squeezing her ass, fondling her tits, and pinching her nipples, the onslaught of pleasurable sensations becoming too much for Emma.

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck FUCK FUUUUUUCK!" Emma chanted, her folds squeezing Naruto's dick as she had another orgasm.

Naruto was close to cumming so he pulled out, allowing his tendrils to release their grip on her as she flopped to the ground like a sac of potatoes.

He then began to viciously stroke himself off, cumming into her gaping 'o'-shaped mouth and on her face, some of his cum dripping down onto her breasts.

Just for added measure, he inserted himself into her mouth one last time, just to clean his dick off from leftover cum and juices.

It only made him hard again.

"You and I are gonna be in this place for a while." Naruto stated, turning off the shower and using the four water tendrils to pick Emma up and move her along with him into the bedroom...

And it was on that very day, Emma discovered the near endless virility that came with the Uzumaki name.

 _ **(Lemon End)**_

 **-Vortex-**

"I feel a disturbance in the Force..." Kushina muttered, perking her head up suddenly, as if alerted to some mysterious noise which no one else could hear.

"Is this about Rogue One, dear?" Minato questioned, sending her a deadpan stare.

"What? No! Of course not!" Kushina exclaimed quickly, waving her hand dismissively. "It's just... it feels as if something's off."

"Sure, dear, something _is_ off~" Minato responded in a teasing, sing-song tone of voice.

"Hey! My hunches are **never** wrong!"

"Oh really?"

"Yes, really! Remember the taco truck?"

"The zoo incident."

"My sister's wedding?"

"The Disneyland incident."

"Ooh... right." She conceded, wincing as the memories of _that_ fiasco came to mind.

"Might I remind you that you're still banned from the entire premise?" Minato added salts to the wound.

"You have to admit, their reaction was funny as hell." Kushina said, chuckling a little as she remembered the silver lining of what had been dubbed 'The Disneyland Incident'.

"Heh... of course, honey." Minato replied.

"You know... with Naruto off in New York, Menma still off at college, and Natsumi still in school... you wanna~"

" ***Knock* *Knock* *Knock*!** " Kushina hissed through her teeth when someone decided to knock on their door, disappointed that the moment had come and gone.

"I'll get it, Kushina." Minato said, making his way to the door and opening it to whoever it was that was knocking...

"Greetings... may I come in?" Standing at the door was a... _strange_ man.

Yes, strange was the best way to describe him. He was 6'2", nearly 6'3" with grey eyes, black hair and a goatee. His attire was what really caught Minato's attention: a blue monk robe - eastern, but he wasn't quite sure from which region - similarly colored pants, boots...

And a red cape around his shoulders.

Oh, and he was levitating, _floating in midair_...

"... Of course." Minato responded, taking a few seconds to comprehend the sight which he was seeing. "Honey!" he called out, tilting his head slightly to yell back, though he kept his eyes on the floating man.

"What?!" Kushina yelled back.

"I... There's a floating man at our door!"

"... Come again?"

"There's. A. Floating. Man. At. Our. Door!"

"I call bullshit on that!"

"Oh really?" Minato retorted, just as Kushina was making her way to the door.

"Yes, really! Total... bullshit..." she trailed off at the sight of the floating man in a red cape.

"Kushina Uzumaki." the man stated rather than asked. "My name is Stephen Strange... _Doctor_ Stephen Strange."

 **-Vortex-**

"I still don't understand how you know this guy." Minato stated, pouring out three cups of tea - for himself, Kushina, and this Doctor Strange fellow.

"I left the magical world a long time ago, though I try to keep an ear out for things when I can." Kushina replied. "He's actually the Sorcerer Supreme, if my information is correct."

"... The what?" was the only thing Minato could ask.

"Your sources are correct. I am the current Sorcerer Supreme." Doctor Strange said.

"So why are you here?" Kushina questioned.

"A few days ago, the Ancient One appeared to me in a vision. She told me to seek out an Uzumaki with red hair-"

"That could be a number of people!" she exclaimed in outrage.

"... and a volatile temper." Strange deadpanned, causing Minato to chuckle slightly.

His wife's temper _was_ fierce.

"Oh... yeah, that's me." Kushina conceded, playfully slapping Minato to stop his chuckling.

"I was told to pass on this message..." Strange cleared his throat before speaking again.

"Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn."

...

To Minato, the statement sounded like a jumble of consonants and vowels which made absolutely no sense whatsoever.

Kushina, on the other hand, clearly understood what Strange had said, and her face had paled three shades and she broke out into a stark sweat.

"I... I don't understand. What does that mean?" Minato questioned.

"To be honest, I'm not quite sure myself." Strange responded, stroking his chin as he pondered his own statement.

"I know what it means." Kushina spoke, her voice no louder than a whisper. Her entire form was shaking, as if a cold shadow was looming over her.

"Well? What does it mean?" Strange asked.

" _In his house at R'lyeh, dead Cthulhu waits dreaming._ "

 **-Vortex-**

"Hehehe..." Paranoia giggled, laughing to an unknown joke which made any passerby give her a wide berth.

Almost immediately, she stopped giggling and began to move with a purpose...

And promptly crashed into a girl with purple hair.

"Hey!" Psylocke exclaimed, falling to the ground along with Anne.

"Ohohohoho - sorry doll!" she apologized, though she was giggling like a mad hatter all the while.

"Watch where you're going!" Psylocke snapped at her, dusting the dust off her clothing as she got back up and walked away.

She could sense Vortex was nearby, or at the very least she was getting closer.

"... Heh... hehehehe!" Paranoia giggled, standing back up carefully so as to not disturb the objects she was hiding under her clothes.

The world would soon know. _They_ would know.

And there's nothing they could do about it!

Hail, Cthulhu!

Chapter End

* * *

 **POST AN: AAAAANNNNNNNNDDDDDD DONE! I just got back from college about a day or so ago, and just finished my last final. So in the holiday spirit, just for all of y'all, I'm gonna try and crank out a shit ton of chapters for most of my stories - hell, maybe even write a few new ones while I'm at it!**

 **Anyways, I'll see you guys next time! Read And Review! Ja mata!**

 **-CrimsonKyuubiSage out!**


	6. Chapter 6 - Cthulhu Rising Part 1

**AN: Heeeeeeeellllllllooooooooooo People! CrimsonKyuubiSage here! Sorry that I didn't go through on my promise for spamming chapters like no tomorrow, but there have been a few factors preventing me from doing that. A veritable shitstorm of emotion has been happening surrounding me, as well... it is with reluctance that I admit that I have an addictive personality. At first I believed myself to be an escapist, but with all the time I've spent just doing nothing but playing video games, ignoring food, family and sunlight, I have stumbled upon the horrifying realization I may have an addictive personality when it comes to video games. It has been interfering with my school and social life for some time now, and I plan to amend such in the upcoming semester at college, however hard this challenge will be...**

 **On a less depressing note, I am seeking out artists! People who can draw well using drawing softwares like Adobe Photoshop! If any readers are interested, send me a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can!**

 **And Now Onto Reviewing Your Reviews!**

 **omar. cornelius. 9 - I doubt Naruto will be getting any cosmic powers any time soon.**

 **FrostyMan122 - The real shock is that Marvel didn't go the Cthulhu route, at least not in name.**

 **DragonPony022 - The way I see things, Naruto has the potential to use magic, but for everything you guys know for now, that's all his magic will ever be. And you are partially correct - Emma** _ **will**_ **use Naruto to scratch that itch every now and then, but she will still try and manipulate him... now sex is a weapon in her arsenal.**

 **Fighting Joe - The best way to get good at writing lemons, at least in my mind, is to write and write until they get better, so that's a plus in my books. The Brotherhood of Mutants and the X-Men, as well as Apocalypse... they're a thing all on their own. Sure, they'll interact, but I'll focus more on developing Naruto's interactions with other characters.**

 **Rakugosha - Finally, someone understands water's potential! Out of all the elements (Wind, Fire, Earth, etc.) I believe Water to be the most versatile. Three states of matter, not to mention 60% of the adult human body is made up of water.**

 **And Now On With The Story! Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter Start

 **-Vortex-**

 _"The legend is ancient, one which has been passed down by word of mouth through my family for generations upon generations..."_

A pair of shaky hands gripped the mossy stones which made up R'lyeh, peaking around the corner to witness the haunting chants which echoed throughout the corridors.

He was bearing witness to a feat of magic unseen for a millennia, rituals which were considered to be the earliest forms of the so-called 'black magic'.

 _"Many of the details have been lost or forgotten, but the story still is enough to make sense of what happened."_

 _"... Which is?"_

It wasn't like this was for a good reason. The man found his tongue dry as he withheld the urge to scream out in horror, abhorred by the sight of the ritual's requirements.

A green mist was circling above the participants, forming a complete circuit with more mist being added from the souls of the six performing the ritual. Below the mist, laying on a stone altar, was a man - one of the cultists, if his assumptions were correct - his stomach slashed open and his guts spilt out and in his hands.

 _"Long ago, in the earliest days of humanity, we were not the dominant species - not on this planet, not in this galaxy... hell, not even in this universe!"_

 _"You're talking about the Great Old Ones."_

 _"I don't get it, the 'Great' Old Ones?"_

 _"It's not something we have time to explain to you, Minato dear."_  
 _"Yet we have time for_ this _story?"_  
 _"Yes. Now as much as I love you, Minato... shut up. I'm trying to tell the story."_

 _"*Sigh* Yes, dear..."_

 _"... As I was saying, the story I was told was that my ancestors - two men by the name of Hagoromo and Hamura - were approached by the Cosmic Entities."_

He wasn't even writhing in pain like a sane person would be, rather, he was squirming in ecstasy, screaming out all the obscenities he knew while his eyes rolled to the back of his head.

Then, suddenly without warning, he stopped moving, arching his back as a red mists shot out of his mangled body, miring the circling green mist above him before condensing into a horrible goop of red and green...

 _"Upon them, they were bestowed six stones of infinite power. The younger brother, Hamura, foolishly tried to harness the stones' power with his bare hands, but his body could not hold the power of infinity, and thus his physical form ceased to exist..._

 _The older brother, Hagoromo, approached a blacksmith, and asked him to craft a weapon to which the stones' power could be channeled through. And with this weapon, he used the power of infinity to seal away the Great Old Ones into an eternal slumber... or at least that's what we thought."_

 _"Ms. Uzumaki, if there are people indeed trying to awaken these Great Old Ones-"_

 _"They would go for Cthulhu. It is the only one which was sealed on this world. The rest were scattered by... some means. I was never told how."_

The man didn't need to think on it any longer as he heard the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps. He needed to move before he was caught.

Scampering, nearly tripping over his own two feet, he ran as far as he could go before rushing around into a dead end, one which the cultists would not concern themselves with, at least not at this time.

He nearly knew this labyrinth like the back of his own hand, and time had long since slipped his grasps from how long he's been in these ruins.

Sure, he would scavenge enough food and water for sustenance, but in his mind, he was not living... he was surviving.

Thus was his tragic survival... _the lorekeeper_.

 **-Vortex-**

"So... what do we do?" Strange asked, stroking his goatee in thought.

"It's obvious..." Kushina replied. "We have to find R'lyeh and stop whoever it is from awakening Cthulhu."

"What... what if you guys are too late?" Minato questioned, causing the two other occupants of the room to freeze up.

"... Let's hope we aren't too late." was Kushina's only response.

" ***RING* *RING* *RING*!** " Minato's phone suddenly vibrated, his eyes widening as he read the messages that were coming to him.

"Guys... we need to turn on the news." he said, rushing to grab the remote and turn on the television.

 **-Vortex-**

" ***BOOM*!** " The sounds of screaming civilians was beginning to become annoying to Jan, especially considering that she heard them on a weekly, almost daily basis. She and Hank split to cover more ground, but everything seemed... normal to her.

Still... something felt different about today...

"Wasp?" A familiar voice reached her ears, and she spun around just in time to see the last person she was expecting...

" _Vortex_..." she spat, venom laced in her voice. Bioelectrical energy began to cackle around her fists. "What are **you** doing here?"

"Well I was just in the neighborhood, decided to check out what all the commotion was." Naruto replied casually, mentally sweating at the murderous look on Jan's face.

"Oh _really_?" Jan asked, her voice laced with sarcasm.

"Look, I'm not looking to pick a fight with you, honest to God." Naruto exclaimed, holding his hands up in the air in surrender.

Jan took a second to look him over, mentally deciding on whether or not he was telling the truth or not...

" ***BOOM*!** " the explosion that came shortly after was enough to make up her mind.

"Fine. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt." she said, growing to normal size and making her way over and into Naruto's face. "But if there's even the _slightest_ hint that you'll betray me... I won't hesitate!"

"You know, I can't help but find it ironic that this is happening... right?" Naruto stated, nervously chuckling as he scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

Her response was the grab him by the scruff of his collar.

"Let me set something straight. I don't need you."

"Uhh... Wasp?"

"I don't need you, I especially don't need your help-"

"Wasp?"

"The only reason I haven't shocked you until you've passed out is because I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt!"

"Wasp!"

"You only get, like, one, _maybe_ two benefit of the doubts from me!"

"WASP!"

"WHAT?!" Jan finally yelled in frustration at being interrupted. Naruto raised a finger and pointed shakily at something behind her...

"Oh don't mind me, I'm just taking my... enemies." There, floating in a laid-back position in the air, was a woman with long, flowing brown hair, glowing white eyes with no pupils...

Oh, and the rest of the body was made of a green energy!

"... That." Naruto said, hold his hands up as he formed two water spheres in preparation to strike.

"Who, little ol' me?" the green woman asked in a faux hurt voice, as if taking his one statement as a personal insult. "Why, I am but a humble Thespian, mister. I'm a country bumpkin girl with BIG city _dreams_!" she exclaimed, her voice sounding innocent and sweet, though Naruto and Jan thought otherwise.

"Are you one that's causing all these explosions?" Jan asked.

"Weeeeellllllllllll... oh, what's the point? Let's just get this over with!" the woman said as she began to form spheres of the green energy around her fists.

"Wait - get _what_ over with?" Naruto questioned, keeping his guard up the entire time he spoke and after.

"One of you is going to say something generically superhero-ish, then we're going to fight." the woman huffed, almost disappointed at the outcome which was to come. "Because that's how things always go, right?"

"I'm not a hero." Naruto stated.

"Vortex!"

"Hey, I'm just saying! Technically, I'm a supervillain."

"A horrible supervillain."

"Yeah, a horrible - hey!"

"Well, _you_ can't deny that she's tried to fight you because of the simple fact that you're a villain." the woman stated.

"I fight him because he's terrorized the city!" Jan argued.

"Is he a terror though? I mean, you two aren't clawing at each other's throats right now." she retorted.

"Who even _are_ you to judge us?" Jan questioned, barely containing her growing rage.

"Oh how _uncouth_ of me!" the woman exclaimed, bowing down to the two mockingly. "I am _Paranoia_! Acolyte of the Great Old One!"

...

"What kind of name is Paranoia?" Naruto asked, causing the green woman to lose her footing and fall in an almost comical, dare he say "cartoonish" way.

"This coming from a guy named 'Vortex'?" Jan commented.

"I use water. And 'Wasp'? Really?" Naruto retorted.

"... Let's just drop this argument." Jan suggested.

"Agreed." Naruto responded, both 'archenemies' turning to the green woman, who had recovered from her fall.

"Now then... shall we begin?" Paranoia questioned, forming green spheres over her fists, then firing them at the duo.

"Get down!" Naruto exclaimed, tackling Jan to the ground as the spheres of unknown substance sailed by overhead.

"Get off me!" Jan yelled, shrinking down and causing Naruto's face to kiss the concrete roof.

Not a second later, Jan flew out from underneath Naruto, bioelectrical energy balls in her hands which she then fired off at Paranoia.

"Oooo - I knew this would happen!" Paranoia giggled, weaving in between the shots before charging at the downed Naruto.

She jumped up, and suddenly the green substance which made up the majority of her body expanded her right foot just before she kicked Naruto in the stomach.

"Oof! Son of a-!" Naruto cried out, the kick sending him flying off the building.

"Vortex!" Jan exclaimed, flying to Naruto in an attempt to catch him while she could...

Only to be met by a wall of green goo. She stopped just short, close enough to the goop wall that she could feel the heat it emitted.

"Ah ah ah. Where do you think _you're_ going?" Paranoia called out, snapping her finger and causing several winged creatures with octopi-like heads to form out of the green goop. "Take care of our falling friend." she commanded, the winged creatures flying off down the side of the building.

"You... How did you do this?" Jan questioned in shock. Everything just happened so fast, separating Vortex and herself, it was almost as if...

"You planned this out!" she exclaimed, coming to the conclusion that caused Paranoia's eyes to widen slightly before a grin spread across her face.

"It pays to be prepared~" Paranoia responded in a sing-song voice, her grin turning predatory in a flash. "Now what to do with you?"

 **-Vortex-**

"... Huh. This is not at all what I pictured this to be like." Naruto muttered, his body flat and parallel to the approaching ground.

He felt as if he should be panicking or something, but... the thing was, he wasn't feeling _anything_.

Perhaps deep within his mind, he _wanted_ to kill himself, to get out of this whole mess with the Hellfire Club, with Mutants, with everything. Or maybe he realized there was no way he could survive this, that his brain had accepted the fact he was going to die and was at peace-

" ***SPLAT*!** " He was broken from his monologue when something warm, slimy and sticky all at the same time grazed his cheek and splattered on his back.

Spinning to face the sky, he was greeted to the sight of several flying creatures with octopus heads made out of...

Well, he wasn't quite sure what they were made out of, only that it was green and matched the same stuff that grazed his cheek.

" **Screeeeeeee!** " one of the creatures released an inhuman cry, which seemed to be some sort of signal to the other creatures to rush at him.

"Oh hell no!" Naruto yelled, attempting to form a sphere of water in both his hands...

Only for said sphere to fly up faster than he was falling, nearly hitting two of the creatures.

'Okay! Think, Naruto, think!' he mentally exclaimed, trying to adjust to the new circumstances he was fighting in.

" **Screeeeeeee!** " the creatures exclaimed, one bold creature diving down, trying to land a strike on Naruto.

Instinctively, Naruto formed a water tendril and slashed horizontally, making a long arc of water which hit the bold creature, causing it to instantly dissolve.

His eyes widened at the revelation! These fuckers were weak to water!

Grinning, he began forming as many water spheres as he could and just let them go, causing the six remaining creatures to go into a panic.

One by one, the creatures were dissolved by the water, until the last of them had been defeated.

Naruto was beaming triumphantly, when a stray thought entered his mind...

How far was he from the ground?

He spun around just in time to see how close he was to his death.

Thus, he decided, that in his final moments, he would close his eyes... and scream.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-"

" ***Thwip* *Thwip* *Thwip*!** "

"-AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhh?" Naruto's scream died down when he quickly realized he wasn't a red splatter on the ground, causing him to open his eyes and see that he was nearly three feet from the New York concrete, his arms dangling in his vision and blood rushing to his head.

"Hey there... how's it hanging?" a new voice called out, causing Naruto's head to dart in all directions that he could look to try and find its source.

"Who's there?" Naruto called out, looking up (or was it down?) to find that there were three webs keeping him from kissing the concrete. His eyes widened as he realized who had saved him...

"Oh no..." he muttered.

"'Oh no'? That's not usually the response I get." a red and blue blur flipped into Naruto's field of view, and as Naruto got a clearer look at his 'savior', he saw a man standing at 5'10" wearing a red and blue skintight suit, a red mask with white eyes and black outlining them...

And even while the man was crouching, Naruto could still see the infamous spider logo on the chest.

"Spider-Man..." Naruto whispered in shock.

"Bingo! Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, who just happened to swing by and see you falling, Swirly." Spider-Man stated.

"It's Vortex." Naruto said, sending the masked vigilante a deadpan stare through his goggles.

"Yeah, I know, Swirly." Spider-Man retorted, shooting another web which bound Naruto's hands together. "You've done a pretty good job trying to stay under my radar, but it doesn't seem like that was enough."

"Urgh! Let me go, dammit! I have to get back to the roof!" Naruto exclaimed, struggling against his restraints.

It was one thing seeing Spider-Man's webs restraining someone, and it was another thing to _be_ restrained by them! For crying out loud, what was this shit made out of? Liquid steel?!

"Hmm not sure if I can do that, buddy ol' pal." Spider-Man said. "You see, there's some stuff going down in the city, everyone's in a panic, and somehow, I _know_ you are involved with it."

"No! You don't understand! Wasp-"

"Woah, _Wasp_ is nearby? Well, I guess, considering you two are, like, archenemies or something." Spider-Man rambled.

"Goddammit get me out of this shit! I've got to help Wasp!" Naruto yelled, causing Spider-Man to do a double take.

"... First of all, _language_. Second of all - why would **you** want to help your archenemy?" Spider-Man questioned.

" ***BOOM*!** " An explosion suddenly rocked the ground. Spider-Man looked up just in time to see the resulting explosion coming from the top of the very building they were in front of.

"Oh." was all he said.

" _That's_ why!" Naruto responded, still struggling against his restraints.

"Well... I guess for the time being, I have no choice but to trust you." Spider-Man stated, jumping up and tearing the webs which held Naruto upside down, causing him to fall down on his face.

"Fuck!" he cursed, barely bracing himself in time before hitting the ground face first.

"But do anything suspicious, and I'll leave you strung out for the police faster than you can say 'Spider-Man'." the red and blue vigilante finished, just as Naruto was pulling himself up off the ground. "Understood?"

"Yeah yeah yeah, I get it. Wasp said something along the same lines." Naruto said dismissively, breaking his hand restraints with the help of Spider-Man and then brushing the dust off his shoulders. "We should probably get up there before something else happens."

"Let's go then!" Spider-Man exclaimed.

"Yeah... the thing is... I don't think there's enough water in the area for me to go all the way up."

"Well then how did you get up there last time?"

"I used the stairs."

"You're not thinking..."

"What? No! I'm not even sure that would work... would it?"

"..."

 **-Vortex-**

The city, as the vigilante superhero had said, had gone into a panic when the explosions began. And since the detonations were all clustered around Midtown, the majority of Manhattan had been evacuated or was in the process of being.

And since no one was around, nobody would see the sight of a man - wearing a red and blue skintight suit - climbing up the side of a building while another man - wearing a dark blue trench coat that had a green stain in the center of it - held on for dear life in what was likely to be the most awkward piggyback of either of their lives.

"... Not one word about this. To anyone. **Ever**." Spider-Man stated, climbing up at a slower pace than usual due to the added weight.

"Wasn't planning on it." Naruto replied.

Thankfully, even with the added weight of another person, Spider-Man was quick in climbing up the building as Naruto got off once they were on the roof.

"Ohohohohohohohoho! Spider-Man!" Paranoia called out, almost like how a child would to their idol. "I can't believe of all the possible scenarios, _this_ is the one to happen!"

"Wasp!" Naruto exclaimed, seeing the auburn-haired heroine unconscious and in the arms of Paranoia.

"Ah. Ah. Ah." Paranoia said as Naruto tried to get closer, pulling out a ceremonial dagger of twisted design. "Not one step closer."

"You bitch!" Naruto cursed, although he relented and backed away.

"Poor girl, she actually thought she stood a chance." Paranoia stated, her face morphing into one of fake pity. "She will make an excellent acolyte."

"Over my dead body!" Naruto yelled.

"That can be arranged-" Paranoia suddenly froze, sensing a presence which made a sliver of fear appear in her eyes. "Well... this was unexpected."

"Uhh... What?" Spider-Man questioned.

"Well, this is where we part ways gentlemen." Paranoia stated, a green-and-red portal appearing behind her. "Ta-ta~"

With that, she rushed through the portal, an unconscious Jan still in her arms, and just as swift as the portal appeared, it vanished...

Just in time for another portal, one of orange color, to pop up.

"Dammit! We're too late!" Strange cursed.

"I told you we would be! You should have just let me use my Divine Magic!"

"They would have sensed us coming from a mile away!"

"Umm... who are you two?" Spider-Man questioned.

"... _Mom_?!"

Chapter End

* * *

 **POST AN: AAAAANNNNNNNDDDD DONE! Like I said, I'm looking for artists that can use drawing software and use it good. If you, the reader, fit this qualification or know someone willing to, then contact me!**

 **Anyways, I'll see you guys next time! Read And Review! Ja Mata!**

 **-CrimsonKyuubiSage Out!**


	7. Chapter 7 - Cthulhu Rising Part 2

**AN: Heeeeeeeeeeellllllllllllllloooooooooooooo People! CrimsonKyuubiSage here! It is nearly 1:00 am when I am publishing this... _and_ I have my first midterm of the second semester today... for Statistics... that I have to do in less than 50 minutes...**

 **Yay. I really hope I do well, so wish me luck on getting a good grade on the first of three exams for that class!**

* * *

 **And Now Onto Reviewing Your Reviews!**

 **VoidLing - Thus far, Naruto has been fighting self-taught, meaning that he's had no teacher to train him in any formal fighting style. Throughout the story, and in future chapters, his fighting style will be refined and strengthened until he can stand equal grounds with some heroes and villains. But make no mistake, this will not happen overnight.**

 **DragonPony022 - Spider-Man is not friends with Wasp, but it'd be asinine if heroes and villains were not aware of each others' existence, especially with media coverage on them. And Kushina is not a mage, she just practices magic and comes from a family in which this is common knowledge.**

 **Fighting Joe - I had a bit of difficulty finding something that would fit the boundaries of what I set for Paranoia's image, but if it helps picture something similar to a green version of an Anodite - a humanoid alien from the Ben 10 universe.**

 **Kyuuotsutsuki - Naruto has the potential to be an Omega Class Mutant, but until he reaches that point, it will only be the potential to be one.**

 **PenPanther - Kurama will eventually make his appearance in this story... just not in the way you'd expect.**

 **And Now On With The Story! Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter Start

 **-Vortex-**

" _Mom?!_ " Naruto exclaimed, his initial reaction catching up to his brain less than a second later as he coughed, attempting to cover up his outcry. "I mean... You seem familiar. Who are you?"

"... Well, my name is Kushina Uzumaki." Kushina said after a moment of hesitation, motioning to Strange after she introduced herself. "And this Doctor Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme."

"Greetings." Strange said aptly. "Like she said, I am the Sorcerer Supreme. Every magical anomaly falls under my jurisdiction."

"Oh, well you should have been here a few minutes ago, you know, _before_ a hellish green portal of ooze opened up and stole a superhero?" Spider-Man quipped, causing both Kushina and Strange to frown.

"Hmm... So we're too late." Strange muttered.  
"Not necessarily." argued Kushina, walking over to the green, gooey residue left by the portal. She reached down and pinched a small amount between her fingers, investigating the goop with an analytical eye. "Everything leaves a magical residue. If I can identify it's signature - and I damn well can - then it's just a matter of locating a magical ping with the matching spike."

"How long will this take?" Naruto questioned, causing both magic-wielders to turn their attention to him.

"And why would this matter to you? This is a matter concerning the magical world - although..." Strange began, floating over into Naruto's personal space. "I _do_ sense the potential for the mystical arts in you."

"That was my... archenemy that was taken." Naruto admitted, albeit he forcefully said the word 'archenemy'. "If anything bad's going to happen to her, then it will be _me_ taking her down!"

"... Very well. You may assist us in this endeavor." Strange stated, holding up his hand to Kushina as she opened her mouth to protest. "And before you say otherwise, Kushina, we will need a mutant's help for what we will need."

"Beg pardon?" Naruto called out, breaking out into a nervous sweat at Strange's statement.

 _How did he know he was a mutant?_

"Easy, I read your mind." Strange replied, a sly smirk on his face which radiated amusement. "By the way, you should find a way to put up some mental barricades. It was _way_ too easy to do it, and I'm not even that proficient at telepathy."

'... Note to self, ask Emma to put up mental blocks.' the masked blond thought, scratching his head as he began to speak. "Okay... so, uhh... _why_ do you need a mutant - w-which I am definitely not, by the way!"

"In order to get _his_ help without causing a commotion, a mutant will be needed for an easier coverup." Strange stated, making a motion with his hands and causing an orange portal to appear. "Come now, time is of the essence!"

He motioned for Naruto to enter first, to which the blond did with much hesitation, followed by Kushina and finally himself...

All the while, Spider-Man watched this all go down with a strong amount of confusion. The only thing he was left to wonder...

 _What the hell just happened?!_

 **-Vortex-**

Meanwhile, Naruto, Kushina and Strange popped out of an orange portal, one that closed not a moment later, and left them beholding the sight of a grandeur mansion.

"What is this place?" Naruto asked curiously, looking around the area to find kids running around as early as twelve to those who appeared to be his own age...

But what really caught his attention were some of the kids. Each one was different, but Naruto saw things like kids flying in the air, freezing the ground beneath their feet, some even had non-human appearances...

His eyes widened as a sudden realization dawned upon him.

They were mutants! They were _all_ mutants!

"Welcome to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters." Strange stated, just as one of the older students approached them.

"Hey there! Can Ah help y'all with something?" a girl with auburn, nearly brunette hair with a white streak in the front asked. She seemed relatively normal, at least compared to some of the other students Naruto got a glimpse of, save for the fact she was wearing a pair of long white gloves.

"Yes, my companions and I need to speak with the Good Shepherd about very urgent matters." Strange responded.

The girl seemed to think on it for a moment before giving a reply.

"Alright, Ah'll take y'all to the Professor. But-" she pointed towards Naruto, causing him to flinch in surprise. "You, sugar, have to wait somewhere until they're done."

Naruto silently nodded, not trusting his words at the moment and opting instead to remain silent as they traveled into the mansion, stopping by a closed door to a lecture hall along the way.

"Wait in here, sugar." the girl ordered, to which Naruto complied and entered the room, the door closing with a creaking groan as he released his grip on the handle.

"..." Naruto continued to keep his silence, noticing that he was the sole occupant of the lecture hall at the moment. So, curiously, he began to look around...

All the while wondering what was happening with his mother and Strange and, nearly in the forefront of his mind, Wasp...

 **-Vortex-**

"Ngh..." Jan groaned as she began to regain consciousness. There was a dull throb in her skull, and she attempted to reach up with her hands and rub her aching temple...

Keyword being _attempted_. A metal clinking sound jarred at her ears, and it was at this point she realized that she was bound by metal shackles.

Her eyes widened as her mind caught back up to her! She had been defeated and knocked unconscious!

Where was she now?! Panicking, she began to struggle against her restraints, and then...

She heard giggling, the sound of which sent a cold chill up her spine.

"Oh goodie! You're awake!" Paranoia exclaimed gleefully, watching Jan continue to struggle to break free. "Don't get any ideas about shrinking either, I had those wrist restraints especially made to keep you from doing that!"

"W-What do you mean?! How?!" Jan exclaimed furiously, attempting to shrink her size but found that something was... _blocking_ her!

"Magic! That's how!" Paranoia cried out, now giggling furiously like a madwoman.

"Paranoia. Your presence is needed." a new voice called out, causing a frown to appear on the green woman's face.

"I will be there shortly." she responded in an almost robotic manner, the frown vanishing from her face and being replaced with a look of indifference. "Guard the prisoner while I'm away." she said before turning around and walking away.

...

Jan lifted her head up to watch Paranoia leave, and when she was certain the crazed woman was gone, she began to struggle against her restraints once again.

"Cease your struggles, child. For soon you shall see the truth of our Lord and become one of us!" a cloaked figure exclaimed, most likely the person who was ordered to guard her.

"Well I'm pretty sure I don't want that!" Jan retorted, continuing to struggle against her bindings when... she saw _it_.

A figure was dashing between the shadows of the dimly lit room, silent, going unnoticed by the guard who had begun to watch her with a curious gaze.

Soon enough, the shadowy figure had made its way behind the robed guard, hold a rock high up and poised to strike...

" ***Wham*!** " The guard didn't realize it until it was too late, and took a single blow to the head before falling down. The shadowy figure did not stop there, it knelt down and continued to slam the rock in its hand against the guard's skull several times more before ceasing.

If Jan wasn't showing any signs of panic before then, she surely was now.

The shadowy figure rose, standing tall over Jan and looming like a mysterious, nightmarish demon of darkness, it proceeded to raise the rock high above itself once again...

And then it struck.

 **-Vortex-**

"Hmm..." Naruto hummed to himself as he paced around the room. A sizeable amount of students could be held in here at once, and the white, dusty writing on a chalkboard near the bottom was enough for him to know that it was used recently...

His gaze then found its way to a desk situated near the chalkboard, the teacher's desk if his assumptions were correct. Strangely enough, he saw no chair nearby to go with it, but what he did see were clusters of papers, a coffee mug with assorted pens with and without caps, and a few photos propped up in small frames.

He eventually meandered his way over to the desk, and circled around so that he could clearly see the photos contents.

The first was a picture of several people, all seemingly normal... except for the yellow-and-black uniforms they wore, all except one woman. He noticed two blue people - one whose skin _was_ blue and the other who appeared to have blue fur. But besides their appearances, Naruto did not recognize who any of those people were.

The second photo he looked at was of a battalion, or something like that - he wasn't entirely sure about what number of soldiers counted as a battalion. It was a black and white picture, and there were signs of aging in the film that was used...

He _was_ , however, able to see one person in that picture who looked like another person in the first picture, though he still didn't know the person's name.

Finally, the third picture he looked at was a black and white photo of a bald man in a wheelchair, shaking hands with...

"John F. Kennedy. That's the Professor in the chair shaking hands with JFK." a new voice called out. Naruto suddenly panicked as if he were caught robbing a bank, and his grip on the picture frame slipped.

He tried to grab the frame before he dropped it, but luck was evidently not on his side at the moment, and the photo frame became effected by gravity and fell...

Only to freeze halfway down and go in the opposite direction, floating up and maneuvering around until it was gently placed back on the table where it was originally found.

Naruto spun around to face the person responsible for saving the photo, and almost immediately a small tinge of red appeared on his cheeks.

It was a woman, standing at 5'6" with green eyes and long, red hair. And her attire...

Well, it left little to the imagination, as it was a green and yellow suit which seemed to be a second skin, coupled by a yellow sash around her hips.

"I - uhh... I was just - err..." Naruto stuttered, trying to come up with an excuse for what he was previously doing, but his brain was in a panic from not only being caught messing around, but the newfound enamor with the redheaded woman...

Damn his red hair fetish!

"It's fine... Naruto Uzumaki." the woman said, causing Naruto to freeze up.

How did she know his name?! Unless...

"You're a telepath?!" Naruto exclaimed accusingly, feeling a small, near unnoticeable throb in the back of his mind - something he had felt before from when Emma had done the same to him.

"Telepathy is just one of my powers." she stated, extending a hand to the blond. "My name is Jean Grey."

"It's, uhh... nice to meet you." Naruto replied, hesitantly shaking her hand. She arched a brow and the corners of her lips curled up slightly into a smile.

"You're an Omega Level? Not quite... but close..." Jean muttered, her eyes roaming over him as if judging him.

"I'm sorry? An Omega Level what?"

"Mutant."

...

"I... don't know what you're talking about." Naruto denied, his heart beating faster at the very mention of the 'M' word.

"Yes you do." Jean refuted. "I don't even need to read your mind to know that you know."

"I, uhh..."

"I'm a psychic, Naruto. Or do you prefer 'Vortex'?"

"Vortex. At least when I'm dressed like this." Naruto stated, motioning to his current attire.

"So if I were to do something like this-" Jean started, making a motion with her hands and causing his goggles and coat to fly off his body. "-I could call you Naruto."

"Hey! That's not what I meant!" Naruto exclaimed, his cerulean blue eyes filled with fear as he tried to reclaim his concealing accessories.

"Then what did you mean?" Jean questioned, levitating the dark blue goggles closer so she could inspect them. She plucked said item from the air and held it up to Naruto. "I want to know what the difference is between you and 'Vortex'."

"The difference is that Vortex is a super villain, a mutant! Naruto - I'm... I'm just..." Naruto trailed off, a lump forming in his throat which choked the words he thought would come out of his mouth.

"You don't want to say _you're_ a mutant." Jean stated, her face twisting into a look of pity. "You've known since you were sixteen, and have been hiding the fact ever since then, even from your parents."

"I... You've seen all the things about mutants in the news, right?" Naruto asked. "All the controversy, the riots, crimes... That's not me, I'm not one of them."

"And Vortex is?" she retorted, causing Naruto to shake his head.

"I just wanted to understand my powers a bit more, but I couldn't just wait every few months to go home and practice." Naruto explained. "So, I decided to put on a disguise, go someplace hidden and then-"

"Then you got caught." Jean finished.

"Wasp called me a super villain, and from then on every time I went out dressed as Vortex, that's the stigma I carried." Naruto continued, snatching his trench coat from midair. " _I_ wasn't a mutant, _I_ wasn't a super villain... Vortex was."

"So you've basically dissociated your mutant identity from your... _human_ identity." she commented. Without warning, she walked towards the window, motioning for Naruto to come closer as well. "Tell me, when you look out there, what do you see?"

"I..."

Naruto looked to where Jean was motioning, and happened upon the sight of students - _mutants_ \- running, laughing, joking...

Acting normal...

"Do you see any riots or crimes going on out there?" she questioned. "Being a mutant doesn't mean you can't be normal. This school is a safe haven for out kind, somewhere we can just be people, not just mutants."

"..." Naruto stood silent, for he could find no words to say in retort to Jean's statement. Instead, he just continued to watch those who were like him enjoy themselves without worrying about being labeled a criminal...

A small part of him was jealous.

"... The Professor wants us to go to him now." Jean stated, handing Naruto his goggles before making her way to the door. "Come on, I'll show you the way."

 **-Vortex-**

Jan was perplexed. Her eyes were still shut tight, anxiously awaiting the cold chill of death to take her...

Only it never came.

" ***Clang*! *Clang*! *Clang*!** " The sound of metal being hit reached her ears, and she quickly opened her eyes to find that the chains connecting to her bindings had been severed.

"Quickly! We have to get out of here!" the shadowy figure exclaimed in a hushed voice, frantically looking around as if some unknown terror would pop out at any second.

She wanted to argue with this stranger, but now was not the time as she too realized that the commotion would catch the attention of nearby enemies.

Shakily standing up, the shadowy figure quickly grabbed her hand and dragged her along at speeds she was not used to running.

The shadowy figure lead her through a series of twisting and turning corridors to the point she felt a bit nauseous, finally stopping when it was certain they weren't being followed.

"That... was too close..." the shadowy figure said, peaking around the corner just in case...

Finally, Jan was able to get a clearer look at her savior, and found a rather ragged man.

The very presence of him just screamed 'survivor'. He stood at 5'10", with charcoal eyes that held an intense, unknown fear, black hair with patches of grey which were so unkempt and tangled that it formed a three-point crown at the top of his head, bags under the bags of his eyes, and a long, shaggy beard with patches of grey like his hair.

He wore the remains of what may have been formal attire - a white dress shirt which was so faded and yellowed it couldn't even count as white anymore, black pants which were torn off near the bottom, a faded red vest which was unbuttoned and likely the most intact item of clothing he had on him, and the tattered remains of black shoes.

"You're real, aren't you?" the man asked, placing one hand on Jan while the other pinched himself.

"Duh, of course!" Jan replied, sending the frantic man a confused look. "Uhh... Who are you?"

"It's not safe here, not safe! They'll be looking harder now, especially with all the commotion happening now..." he mumbled, his murmurs reverting into nonsensical words which Jan could not make out.

"Hey! I asked you who you are!" Jan exclaimed, causing the man to immediately cease his muttering and look at her.

"Oh! Sorry, it's been a long time since I've had any sort of human interaction..." the man said, bowing a little as he introduced himself.

"My name is Howard. Howard Phillip Lovecraft."

 **-Vortex-**

While Jean was guiding Naruto to 'the Professor', he replaced his goggles over his eyes and felt just that safer with his identity concealed.

But the inner turmoil he was experiencing was nowhere near as easy a problem as concealing his identity.

He wasn't given much time to dwell on it, as Jean opened a door revealing Doctor Strange, Kushina, and...

The man in the wheelchair, the one from the photos he looked at.

"Thank you, Jean." the man said, turning his attention to Naruto. "So this is the young man you spoke of."

"Yes. This is Vortex." Strange stated. "He has encountered a powerful acolyte of the Cult of Cthulhu, and came out mostly unscathed."

"A pleasure to meet you." the man stated, swerving his wheelchair closer to the masked blond and extending his hand. "Charles Xavier at your service."

"Uhh... likewise..." Naruto replied, hesitantly shaking Charles' hand.

Suddenly, just like with Jean and Emma, he felt a small dull throb in the back of his head, albeit this one was definitely more subtle than either of the women were.

"You are a peculiar one, Mister Vortex." Charles commented, turning his attention back to the Sorcerer Supreme. "Very well, you came to me for my assistance, and you shall have it."

"Thank you, Xavier." Strange said, bowing slightly to the paralyzed mutant.

"You will need to come with me, Doctor Strange, and I would like _you_ to come with us as well." Charles commanded, pointing directly at...

"... Me?" Naruto said with a questioning glance.

"Yes. There is something I would like to show you." Charles stated, wheeling on ahead with Strange and Naruto in tow.

...

"Uhh... just out of curiosity, where are we going?" Naruto asked, looking around as the decor of the hallway shifted from Victorian to something that would be found in a science fiction movie.

"You'll see." Charles said mysteriously, stopping in front of a large door with a large 'X' on the front.

A blue light sprung forth from the center of the 'X', scanning Charles for a moment before vanishing. Once it did, the door began to slide open, revealing a rather spacious, spherical room with a platform in the center which they were moving towards.

"So this is how you do it... impressive." Strange stated, nodding his head a little as he looked over the room.

"How he does what? What is this room?" Naruto queried, stopping when Charles turned to him and spoke.

"This is how mutants in need are found. This... is _Cerebro_."

Chapter End

* * *

 **POST AN: AAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNDDDDDDDD DONE! For a long time, I was wondering how I would have Naruto meet the X-Men. I didn't want him to just approach them out of the blue, and if I were to have them approach him they would have detected Naruto a long time ago, so this seems like a good way of introducing the X-Men slowly: Through a third party. Doctor Strange is not a mutant, his powers obviously fall under the category of magic, however, I find that it would be implausible with his history in the medical field and with recent news that he could just ignore mutants.**

 **Anyways, I'll see you guys next time! Read and Review! Ja mata!**

 **CrimsonKyuubiSage out!**


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